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Ukrainian Colonel General (born 1967)
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In accordance with East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Borysovych, and the family name is Khomchak.
Ruslan Khomchak
Official portrait, 2021
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Ruslan Borysovych Khomchak (Ukrainian: Русла́н Бори́сович Хомча́к; born 5 June 1967) is a Ukrainian Colonel-general. He currently holds the position of First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine [2], a role he assumed after a notable tenure as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Until 28 March 2020, he concurrently served as the Chief of the General Staff.
From 21 May 2019, Khomchak held the dual responsibility of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Chief of the General Staff. However, on 28 March 2020, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree that separated these two distinct roles. [5] On that same day, Zelensky relieved Khomchak of his duties as Chief of the General Staff, appointing him Chief Commander of the Armed Forces. Concurrently, Serhiy Korniychuk was appointed as the new Chief of the General Staff. [5]
Later, on 27 July 2021, Ruslan Khomchak was dismissed from his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine [3] and subsequently appointed as the First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. [2]
Biography
Born in Lviv on 5 June 1967, [7] Khomchak's military career began after his graduation from the Moscow Higher Military Command School in 1988. He initially served within the Soviet Army, specifically in the Soviet Artillery Corps. His early service was primarily with a self-propelled artillery unit equipped with the 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer. [7] Between 1988 and 1992, Khomchak's assignments took him to various locations, including East Germany, the Uzbek SSR, and the Belarusian SSR. [7]
Following the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine in 1991, Khomchak transitioned into service with the newly formed Armed Forces of Ukraine. From 1993 to 2000, he held positions within the 24th Mechanized Brigade. [7] His career progression saw him promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 2013. [8]
Khomchak played a significant role in several critical engagements during the war in Donbas. He served as the sectoral commander for Ukrainian forces during the Battle of Ilovaisk. This battle proved to be a disastrous defeat for Ukrainian units, who found themselves encircled and overwhelmed by separatist forces supported by Russian military intervention. [9] Years later, reflecting on the Ilovaisk debacle, Khomchak's predecessor as Commander-in-Chief, Viktor Muzhenko, attributed the catastrophic outcome to a combination of factors, including the incompetence of some Ukrainian commanders and the substantial presence of Russian troops fighting alongside the separatists. [10]
On 21 May 2019, then-President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Ruslan Khomchak to the dual leadership positions of Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. [6] As previously noted, a presidential decree on 28 March 2020 separated these roles. [5] On that date, Zelensky removed Khomchak from the Chief of the General Staff position, reassigning him as Chief Commander of the Armed Forces, while Serhiy Korniychuk took over as Chief of the General Staff. [5]
Khomchak tested positive for COVID-19 on 10 September 2020. [11]
Family
Ruslan Khomchak is married to Anna Kovalenko. [12] Kovalenko is a prominent figure in Ukrainian civic activism, a journalist, and a key participant in the Euromaidan movement. She has previously served as an advisor to three different Ministers of Defense of Ukraine and also held the position of Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine. From 13 October 2020 until 4 August 2021, she served as the Head of the Chernihiv Regional State Administration. [13] [14]
In January 2021, Anna Kovalenko gave birth to the couple's daughter, Maria. [12]