Zelenskyy has put his name to a decree that creates two new bodies inside Ukraine’s Armed Forces: the Long-Range (Global) Strike Command and the Joint Rapid Response Forces. Espreso.tv carried the news on July 10.
The president gave the purpose of the strike command in three parts. It should make long-range fire strikes more effective, cut into the enemy’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine, and wear down Russian military potential.
The man picked for the rapid response forces
Brigadier General Dmytro Voloshyn will head the Joint Rapid Response Forces. He is a Hero of Ukraine, an honor he received in 2024, and holds the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi in both the third degree (2014) and the second degree (2022).
His career runs through the Air Assault Forces, where he served in elite units. In 2024 he took over the 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade. Earlier he saw action in the Anti-Terrorist Operation and the Joint Forces Operation in eastern Ukraine.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, the 82nd Brigade under Voloshyn carried out an operation near Vovchansk in May 2024. Since August 2024, its units have been fighting in Russia’s Kursk region.
Zelenskyy was brief about the qualities he wants in a commander. “The commander in this direction will be strong and certainly as experienced as possible,” he said.
