Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has approved a new military-administrative division of the territory of Ukraine. The head of state enacted the National Security and Defence Council's resolution to this effect, dated 27 January 2016, the president's official website has said.
"The military-administrative division of Ukraine sets out territorial and geographic limits of responsibility for the military governance units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the context of the fulfillment of administrative-military functions in the sphere of defense on land, in the air and maritime space taking into account the territory recognized temporarily occupied under the laws of Ukraine and the resolutions of the Supreme Council [parliament]," it reads.
The land is divided into four military ground areas and a separate military ground district, together forming the area of responsibility of the North, South, West and East operational commands.
Previously, Ukraine had three operational commands: Southern (headquartered in Odesa), Western (Lviv) and Northern (Chernihiv). Former President Viktor Yanukovych attempted to change this by leaving only the West (Rivne) and East (Dnipropetrovsk) commands, but he has not finished his reform.
The air is divided into three military air zones and one separate military air district, together forming the area of responsibility of the air commands West, South and Centre.
The sea, taking into account the legal status of the temporarily occupied territories of internal waters and territorial sea of Ukraine around the Crimean peninsula and a separate district of Donetsk Region, is divided into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov military maritime zones of responsibility of the Ukrainian Navy.
"The necessity of the new military-administrative division of Ukraine is caused by the provisions the Military Doctrine of Ukraine, which envisages the mechanisms of response to the threats to the military security of the state, particularly those from the Russian Federation," the website reads.