Commander-in-chief announces major reorganization of Ukrainian military structure

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have begun transitioning from their current battalion-based structure to a corps system, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on 3 February via his official Facebook page. While battalions will remain, they will be reorganized into separate army corps under the new system amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

Army corps emerged with the advent of mass armies, when the spatial scope of combat operations increased and the management of military formations with numerous combat personnel and diverse armament became more complex. Their creation is also necessitated by the need for formations capable of executing combat missions in independent operational directions.

Syrskyi’s account wrote on Facebook:

“We are considering the challenges of our time and working to strengthen the army even in these difficult conditions. The reform of the organizational structure of the Armed Forces continues. We have begun implementing measures to transition to a corps structure.”

Syrskyi emphasized the ongoing expansion of Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, Marine Corps, and recently created Unmanned Systems Forces by increasing the integration of drone systems within their structures.

Ukrainian military news portal Militarnyi noted that the reorganization of the Ukrainian army through the consolidation of brigades into corps began in 2023 with the formation of the 9th and 10th Ground Forces corps. However, following the Zaporizhzhia offensive operation, the brigades subordinated to the newly created corps continued to fight separately in different front sections as part of operational-tactical groups.

The reform announced by the Commander-in-Chief likely aims to complete the formation of the corps’ organizational core with gradual transfer of combat brigades under their command.

Currently, the existence of the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Army Corps within the Ground Forces is publicly known, according to Militarnyi. Additional corps have been created in the Air Assault Forces (Rapid Reaction Corps) and the Naval Infantry of the Ukrainian Naval Forces.

The number of formed corps may increase in the future, as the Defense Forces currently comprise more than a hundred brigades of various purposes. Each corps combines 4-5 mechanized (assault, infantry) brigades, a reconnaissance regiment or battalion, and other separate combat and logistics support units. A corps is commanded by a major general, with brigadier generals serving as chief of staff and deputy.

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