Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky late on Aug. 25 appointed Major General Hryhoriy Halahan as commander for the country’s Special Operations Force.
The new top commanding officer replaced Lieutenant General Ihor Luniov who had led the force since it was established in 2016.
According to the presidential press service, Zelensky during the nomination ceremony asserted that due to “ongoing ceasefire in Donbas,” which started on July 27, the Special Operations Force’s tasks had changed.
“There will be more provocations from pro-Russian militants,” Zelensky was quoted as saying.
“So both the command and the Special Force personnel must work more to prevent (the provocations). Also, there need to be more aggressive actions to counter the challenges… posed by the enemy.”
Also, Zelensky asserted he expected the new commander to continue developing all of Special Operations Forces components. Halahan said he will focus on enhancing his branch’s maritime and aircraft capabilities.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) nominates new Special Operations Force’s commander Hryhoriy Halahan (R) at the Presidential Office in Kyiv on Aug. 25, 2020.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Force was established as a new standalone military branch in early 2016 with support primarily from the United States, Estonia, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom.
The highly-classified formation force aims at bidding farewell to the old traditions of Soviet Spetsnaz and creating a modern special operations force fully compatible with NATO regulations. It declares conducting highly-sensitive operations in realms of intelligence, psychological warfare, counter-terror, as its primary scopes of activity.
Formations are also deployed for combat missions in the war zones of Donbas against Russian-backed militant forces.
It uses a stylized sign of the werewolf as its symbol, gray colors for its full dress uniforms, and also slogan “Coming at you!” inherited from a known saying to Sviatoslav the Brave, the warrior prince of Kyivan Rus of the 10th century.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Force’s trooper poses for a picture during alive-fire training on June 8, 2017. (Ukraine's Special Operations Force)
Many experts note the unit as Ukraine’s most rapidly developing branch of service as part of the 2020 defense reform to achieve full compatibility with NATO. As of 2020, the force has been provided with capabilities for operations on the ground, in the sea, and in the air, as well as in cyberspace.
In June 2019, Ukraine’s 140th Special Operations Center based in Khmelnytsky was certified by NATO and was admitted to being deployed with NATO Response Force (NRF), the multinational military formation kept by the Alliance in high-readiness on the regular basis to respond to very immediate threats.
This was the first time a non-NATO nation’s special task force was accredited to NRF.
Halahan started his career in Ukraine’s Armed Forces in 1995. Starting from 2002, he served as a deputy commander with the Security Service of Ukraine’s special task group Alpha. He participated in combat missions in Donbas, having been wounded in action in 2015.
Halahan was decorated the 3rd Grade Order of Courage and the 3rd Grade Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky for his combat record.
