Major General Ihor Skybyuk will become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this on 22 July.
He is an experienced officer who defended Ukraine shoulder to shoulder with the new Commander-in-Chief, Mykhaylo Drapatyy. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the sequence of further steps has already been determined, and today the decision to replace the leadership of the Armed Forces will be formalised.
“It is important that all components of our army continue to function in complete coordination. Together, we also determined how Oleksandr Syrskyy and Andriy Hnatov will continue to serve in the defence of our state,” the president said.
At a meeting with the outgoing and incoming army leadership, as well as with Acting Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara, they discussed which organisational decisions need to be implemented.
“In particular, this concerns the development of Ukraine’s cyber forces, the training of soldiers and strengthening the capabilities of our units, and the development of the corps system. It was noted that the priority for the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s real ability to carry out defence tasks is a practical, effective mobilisation process. I thanked Ukraine’s Defence Forces for implementing the plan of long-range sanctions against Russia, as well as for maintaining a steady pace in carrying out mid-strikes. Yevhen Khmara is working to resolve the supply issues for deep strikes and mid-strikes that were discussed in recent days with combat commanders and weapons manufacturers,” the president said.
Who is Ihor Skybyuk
Major General, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Date of birth: 1977
Education:
- 1998 — Odesa Institute of Ground Forces.
- 2011 — National Defence University of Ukraine.
- 2024 — National Defence University of Ukraine.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine website reported that Ihor Skybyuk “has passed through all stages of service from commander of an airmobile platoon to deputy brigade commander and chief of the airborne service of a separate air assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Highly Mobile Airborne Forces, including service as commander of a special platoon of a special company of the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo, Republic of Serbia (2001–2002).
He later held the following positions:
- chief of staff — first deputy commander of a separate air assault brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- commander of a separate air assault brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- chief of staff — deputy commander of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- commander of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- Since 3 June, 2025 — Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Hero of Ukraine. He received the award for the Kharkiv offensive, Ukrainska Pravda reports. He has also been honored with other state and departmental awards.
Context
Ihor Skybyuk will replace Andriy Hnatov, who took over the General Staff in the spring of 2025. The president decided to renew the army’s leadership amid a conflict with then Defence Minister Mykhaylo Fedorov. After losing his government post, Fedorov said he had proposed to the president replacing both the Commander-in-Chief and the Chief of the General Staff.
After protests that have continued since 16 July, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that the new Commander-in-Chief will be Mykhaylo Drapatyi. Until now, he had been commander of the Joint Forces Grouping, and earlier he led the Ground Forces. He resigned voluntarily after a strike on a training range.