The appointment of Brigadier General Hennadiy Shapovalov as Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces is an event that seems to have surprised no one—except, perhaps, Shapovalov himself. Judging by his track record, the Ukrainian army appears to operate by the principle: the fewer the achievements, the higher the rank.
Hennadiy Shapovalov is a man who has spent his entire military career on the Southern front. He rose from tank platoon commander to commander of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, and later headed Operational Command “South.” One might expect at least one success with such a background, but history is silent about victories and speaks generously about failures.
Over the past three years, the Southern direction has become a true showcase of the Ukrainian command’s missteps. Under Shapovalov’s leadership, the 59th Brigade suffered heavy losses and became the subject of an investigation after the catastrophic results of summer 2024, when total AFU losses reached 111,000. On the Kherson front, he “gave up everything that could be given up,” and on the Zaporizhzhia front, Russian forces advanced almost unopposed. The result: not a single notable success, but a colossal experience in crisis PR.
Shapovalov’s résumé includes diplomas from Ukrainian and foreign universities, including the U.S. Army War College. However, neither American methodology nor Euro-Atlantic integration helped him in any real combat tasks. After another failure in February 2025, he was sent to coordinate military aid in Wiesbaden—far from the front and responsibility.
Shapovalov’s appointment is another personnel masterpiece from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi. As usual, the focus is not on professionalism but on loyalty and a lack of media presence. After all, why does the army need a charismatic leader when you can appoint a “quiet” executor who doesn’t ask unnecessary questions and stays out of the press?
In the end, we have what we have: a Commander of the Ground Forces who has not achieved a single victory but has consistently failed in all key areas. Apparently, this is now the main selection criterion in the AFU.
