Operational Command North

Operational Command North is a command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in northern Ukraine. It was formed in 2013 from the Western Operational Command and Territorial Directorate North by reforming the 13th Army Corps.

Operational Command "North"
Air and ground army groups
(Operation Command North is shown in green)
Active1996–present
CountryUkraine
BranchGround Forces
Roleadministrative control[1]
Garrison/HQChernihiv[2]
Anniversaries15 August
Commanders
Chief of the DirectorateMajor General Oleksandr Lokota
Operation Command North sleeve patch

The operation command traces its history back to Territorial Directorate "North", which was created on the basis of Northern Territorial Operational Command by Directive №322/1/010 of the Minister of Defence of Ukraine on 20 May 2005.[3]

The previous Northern Operational Command was created in 1996[4] and based on the 1st Army Corps that continued the traditions of the 1st Guard Red-Banner Army. It encompassed six oblasts: Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy. The command consisted of units and military formations of the 8th Army Corps.

On 15 August 2005, temporary Chief of the Directorate Colonel Yuriy Horoliuk signed the first Order within the Directive. This day is considered the creation date for the Directorate. The Territorial Directorate "North" was the first to switch to a new system of control.[3]

History

When Ukraine gained independence, the 1st Guards Army was stationed on Ukrainian territory with its headquarters at Chernihiv. During the early 1990s, the army was reformed into the 1st Army Corps. In 1996, the Northern Operational and Territorial Command was formed from the corps. At the beginning of 1998, the command was split into the Northern Operational Command, managing operations in the area. The Northern Territorial Command controlled other functions. In August 2005, Territorial Directorate "North" was established from the Northern Operational Command.

The Directorate was responsible for territory spanning over 196,000 km2 (75,676 sq mi), in which 15,000,000 people lived in 2008. The oblasts (provinces) of Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy were all are under the Directorate control. The Directorate was in charge of the 7 oblasts and Kyiv City Military Commissariat, 135 regional military commissariats, 530 military units and bases.[3] As of 2008, the mission of the directorate was to organize territorial defence, recruit conscripts and contract soldiers and manage infrastructure.[3]

In November 2013, the directorate was reformed into Operational Command North. The command absorbed units of the disbanded 13th Army Corps.

Current structure
Structure of the Operational Command North in 2017 as per the best available Ukrainian language sources.

Operational Command North has operational command of ground force units in Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy oblasts, as well as in the city of Kyiv.

Additionally the following major ground combat formations of other branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, respectively the ground forces, are based in the area of Operational Command North:

Commanders

This table includes commanders of Northern Operational Command (1992–2005), Territorial Directorate "North" (2005–2013) and Operational Command North (2014–).

Military Rank Name Term of Office
Start End
Lieutenant General Valentyn Boryskin 1992 1996
Colonel General Viktor Kolotov 1996 1998
Colonel General Oleh Shustenko 2000 2005
Colonel Yuriy Horoliuk[3] 15 August 2005 2005
Major General Serhiy Bessarab[3] 2005 2007
Major General Anatoliy Syrotenko[3] 2007 2012
Lieutenant General Ihor Kolesnik November 2013 2015
Major General Oleksandr Lokota[6] Unknown present

See also

References
  1. (in Ukrainian) 3rd anniversary of creation of the Directorate
  2. (in Ukrainian) Contract personnel of the Directorate
  3. У Чернігові відбулися урочисті збори та святковий концерт з нагоди 3-ї річниці з дня створення Територіального управління “Північ” Сухопутних військ Збройних Сил України [Meeting and concert held in Chernihiv for the 3rd anniversary of Territorial Directorate "North"]. mil.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 15 August 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  4. Brief history of the Ukrainian military.
  5. https://www.ukrmilitary.com/2019/06/new-tank-bat.html
  6. Holcomb, Franklin. The Order of Battle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Institute for the Study of War, Washington DC.

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