Top commanders to lead reinforcement of Ukrainian positions in Donetsk Oblast, Zelensky says

Andrii Biletskii, commander of the Third Army Corps, and Denys Prokopenko, commander of the National Guard's 1st Corps, will lead reorganized units tasked with reinforcing Ukrainian positions in Donetsk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Aug. 26 on X.

The announcement came during Zelensky's visit to the front line with Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, where they met with units fighting in the Oleksandrivka sector at the junction of the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk oblasts.

Prokopenko has fought against Russia since 2014, when he joined the then-volunteer "Azov" Battalion on July 11, founded by Biletskii, who served as its first commander.

The battalion was reorganized into a regiment in fall 2014 and incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard as the "Azov" Special Purpose Detachment. It became the 12th "Azov" Special Forces Brigade in 2023 following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, before becoming part of the 1st "Azov" Corps in 2025.

In early 2022, Biletskii commanded the "Azov" Special Operations Forces Regiment. The unit was reorganized as the 3rd Assault Brigade in 2023 and expanded into the 3rd Army Corps in 2025.

Both Prokopenko and Biletskii have commanded Ukrainian forces in some of the war's most critical battles.

Prokopenko fought in the defense of Mariupol at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion before being captured by Russian forces. He was held in captivity until Sept. 21, 2022. After returning to service in 2023, he carried out combat missions in the Lyman sector.

Biletskii, meanwhile, fought in the defense of Kyiv and liberation of Kyiv Oblast early in the full-scale invasion, as well as in the liberation of Kherson Oblast and the battles for Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast is the place of the most intense battles on the front lines as Moscow's main offensive effort is focused on the "fortress belt" cities in the region.

Both formations, commanded by Biletskii and Prokopenko, have been deployed to some of the most heavily contested sectors of the Donetsk sector, including around Dobropillia and Lyman.

Russian forces heavily struck Dobropillia since the August breach. Lyman, located in northern Donetsk Oblast with a pre-war population of around 20,000, has been a hotspot on the front line for years, where fighting raged in the Serebrianskyi Forest, just east of the city.

During his visit to the Oleksandrivka sector, Zelensky met with Prokopenko, Biletskii, Drapatyi, as well as with Airborne Forces Commander Oleh Apostol, Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert Brovdi, and Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration Head Ivan Fedorov.

The meeting focused on the situation on the battlefield in the sector and the need to improve the effectiveness of Ukrainian forces.

Zelensky added that protection for Zaporizhzhia and the surrounding region should be strengthened, as the southeastern Ukrainian city faces constant Russian air attacks and lies about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the front line.

"Thank you to everyone working for Ukraine. We are doing everything to strengthen our positions," Zelensky wrote on X.