Ukrainian Security and Military Officials Receive Promotions
On February 25, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a series of decrees, numbered 191 through 200/2026, awarding higher military and special service ranks to senior officials across multiple security agencies. These promotions are part of ongoing efforts to enhance the qualifications and motivation of personnel performing critical security and law enforcement functions in Ukraine. This restructuring comes as Ukraine continues to modernize its defense and security institutions.
The key promotions resulting from these presidential decrees include:
- Colonel Vitalii Viktorovych Skorbatiuk, First Deputy Head of the Regional Directorate – Chief of Staff of the Southern Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, was promoted to the military rank of Brigadier General.
- Colonel of the Civil Protection Service Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Zakharchuk, Head of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service (SES) in Rivne Oblast, received the special rank of Major General of the Civil Protection Service.
- Colonel Andrii Anatoliiovych Khyzniak, Head of the Main Directorate of the SES in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, was promoted to Major General.
- In the National Guard of Ukraine, Brigadier General Oleksandr Serhiiovych Pivnenko was promoted to the military rank of Major General.
- Colonel Denys Hennadiiovych Prokopenko, Commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine 'Azov', was promoted to Brigadier General.
- In the National Police of Ukraine, Colonel Oleksandr Mykolaiovych Shevchuk, Head of the Internal Security Department, received the special rank of Police General of the Third Rank.
- A similar rank was awarded to Colonel Yurii Oleksandrovych Parkhomenko, Head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Vinnytsia Oblast.
- In the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Brigadier General Serhii Oleksandrovych Dutsi, First Deputy Head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood, was promoted to Major General.
- Colonels Yaroslav Viktorovych Merezhko and Ivan Lvovych Rudnytskyi, both Deputy Heads of the Security Service of Ukraine, were promoted to Brigadier General.
These appointments underscore the significant responsibility placed on senior officials tasked with ensuring Ukraine's security.
The awarding of new military and special ranks is part of strategic reforms within Ukrainian security structures, aimed at increasing their effectiveness in maintaining national security and public order.
Source: Office of the President of Ukraine
These promotions may indicate an optimization of managerial personnel and the need to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities in the face of contemporary challenges. It is crucial that such steps are accompanied by continued support for the professional development of personnel and the implementation of new security technologies.