Military — 2026-09-18

Ukraine Dissolves Eastern Operational Command as New Azov and Center Force Groupings Take Over Donetsk Defense

BLUFDrapatyi's gamble on assault-corps commanders over staff generals for Donetsk defense signals a doctrinal shift toward tactical aggressiveness that will test Ukrainian cohesion across the fortress-belt sectors Russia is pressuring hardest.

Major General Viktor Nikoliuk announced on Facebook on September 17 that he is stepping down as commander of the Eastern Operational Command's grouping of forces after five months overseeing the Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Ocheretyne, and Pokrovsk sectors 12. Two sources cited by Hromadske reported that the command has disbanded the "East" grouping altogether, with new "Azov" and "Center" groupings, led by Brigadier Generals Denys Prokopenko and Andrii Biletskyi, respectively, taking over responsibility for Donetsk Oblast defense under Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi's reorganization 13. Censor.NET similarly reported the "East" grouping has ceased to exist, replaced by the two new formations 4. Accounts diverge on Nikoliuk's status: MilitaryLand.net and Censor.NET reported he retains his position as commander of the permanent Operational Command "East," a separate administrative structure from the disbanded grouping of forces 34, while Kyiv Independent and Kyiv Post did not specify a continuing role and reported only that his next assignment remains undetermined 15.

Analysis
Drapatyi's reshuffle concentrates Donetsk Oblast's defense under two battle-tested corps commanders, Prokopenko and Biletskyi, rather than a conventional operational-command hierarchy: a bet that veteran assault-formation leadership outperforms staff-command continuity along the fortress-belt sectors Russia is prioritizing. Nikoliuk's exit strips institutional memory from a command that held Kostiantynivka and stabilized the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk line during his tenure's heaviest fighting. Primary outlets converge on the reorganization while withholding his onward assignment. Secondary outlets separately converge on a competing account that he retains a distinct permanent Operational Command "East" post, so both clusters may simply be describing different structures rather than disagreeing on fact. Nikoliuk's actual disposition remains unresolved in public reporting as Drapatyi redistributes senior commands across the eastern front.

5 sources

Head of Ukraine Eastern Operational Command steps down amid military reshuffle - Kyiv Independent
Major General Viktor Nikoliuk steps down as Eastern Command chief - Ukrainska Pravda
Command disbands Operation Task Force East - MilitaryLand.net
Nikoliuk remains commander of Operational Command East - Censor.NET
Major General Nikoliuk Leaves East Command After 5 Months Overseeing 5 Frontline Regions - Kyiv Post