Dmytro Rohoziuk becomes new commander of Third Army Corps, says Biletskyi
The Third Army Corps is now led by Dmytro Rohoziuk, who previously commanded the 60th Separate Mechanised Brigade. He was introduced by Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the Centre Grouping of Forces.
Biletskyi announced this at a press conference, Censor.NET reports.
New commander of the Third Corps
According to Biletskyi, the Third Corps is now commanded by Dmytro Rohoziuk, the former commander of the 60th Brigade.
"So I believe we have three excellent corps commanders," Biletskyi said.
Commanders of the 11th and 19th Corps
Valerii Skred, former chief of staff of the Air Assault Forces’ 7th Rapid Response Corps, had previously become commander of the 19th Corps, while Emil Ishkulov, deputy commander of the 7th Corps, became commander of the 11th Corps.
Biletskyi said this had been the right decision: although Ishkulov had not been in the post long, both he and the brigades were seeing "many positive changes". He stressed that the General Staff and the commander-in-chief were providing support.
He described Skred as a competent, proactive officer with whom he was "entirely satisfied", adding that Skred was also a paratrooper.
Which grouping Biletskyi took over
- The Centre Grouping of Forces consists of three corps — the 3rd, 11th and 19th. It is responsible for the sector stretching from the southern approaches to Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi to Kostiantynivka, inclusive, covering Borova, Lyman, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka.
"This is a key sector at this stage of the war, and it accounts for 26% of the front. In other words, every fourth kilometre of the front is now directly within our grouping’s area of responsibility," Biletskyi said.
According to the commander, the biggest problem is the grouping’s ad hoc structure. It has no organic assets, unlike the corps, where he had 18 separate units. These included a reconnaissance battalion, an unmanned systems regiment, an air defence regiment, a medical battalion, and an engineering support regiment and battalion.
"They need to be created," Biletskyi said. According to him, there are also no clear planning procedures.
Rear support and roads
Biletskyi explained that the main task at the operational level is organising rear support and continuously sustaining the troops’ efforts. This includes logistics, roads, the condition of the power grid, housing, warehouses, concealed troop deployment, protection, air defence and electronic warfare. According to him, no one had been addressing rear support within this grouping.
He separately thanked Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi. According to Biletskyi, for the first time, they had managed to explain to the country’s leadership how critically troops depend on the condition of roads, which have been destroyed, while there are no roads at the front. Where speeds had previously been 4–5 km/h, they were now 40–50 km/h, he said. This was "pothole repair, but it has been done".
What comes next
Biletskyi recalled that the development doctrine of the Armed Forces of Ukraine envisages a transition in 2030 to a permanent structure known internationally as a field army. If the operational level’s potential can be unlocked and demonstrated, this transition could happen sooner.
According to him, better coordination had made it possible to stabilise the line at the boundary between the 3rd and 11th Corps. This had been the most dangerous stretch of the Sloviansk sector. He compared the work within the grouping to cleaning the "Augean stables", but said there was a chance of success.
In his assessment, winter will be the most difficult period for the troops, but neither he nor the corps commanders see any point in "remaining static in all these sectors".
Who is Dmytro Rohoziuk?
- At the start of the full-scale war, Rohoziuk defended the capital as part of the Azov Regiment. He later commanded a company in the Third Assault Brigade’s 1st Assault Battalion near Bakhmut, headed operational planning and, following the formation of the corps, became deputy chief of staff.
- In October 2025, Biletskyi personally appointed him commander of the 60th Brigade. Within a few months under his command, the brigade reduced its casualties, strengthened its UAV and UGV capabilities and stabilised the situation at the front. In 2026, the unit became one of the key forces in Operation "Vivaldi".
