Operational Command South

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox military unit

| unit_name = Operational Command South

| native_name = Оперативне командування «Південь»

| image = ОК Південь к.svg

| image_size = 200px

| caption = Operational Command West Shoulder Sleeve patch

| dates = January 1998–present

| country = {{UKR}}

| branch = {{Army|Ukraine}}

| role = Combined

| type = Military district

| command_structure = {{military|Ukraine}}

| garrison = Mykolaiv, Ukraine

| garrison_label = Headquarters

| battles =

| anniversaries =

| decorations =

| battle_honours =

| commander1 = vacant

| commander1_label =

| start_date = January 1998

| identification_symbol =

| identification_symbol_label =

| website =

}}

The Operational Command South ({{abbr.}} OC South, {{langx|uk|Оперативне командування "Південь", ОК "Південь"}}) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in the southern part of Ukraine, which was formed in January 1998 as the Southern Operation Command on the basis of the Odesa Military District and was headquartered in Odesa. From 2005-2013 it was known as the Southern Operation Association.

In January 2007 RIA Novosti reported that destruction of ammunition would take place at the 275th artillery ammunition base (275-й артиллерийской базе боеприпасов) near the village of Novobohdanivka, Zaporizhzhia region.{{cite web | url=https://ria.ru/20070102/58308948.html | title=В январе на Украине в Новобогдановке начнется утилизация боеприпасов | date=2 January 2007 }}

Until 2015 Operational Command South covered 9 oblasts and autonomous republics: Odesa, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk oblasts and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. In 2015 eastern parts of the operation command territory were passed on to newly formed Operation Command East based in Dnipro. The headquarters of the OC South was relocated from Odesa to Mykolaiv.

Composition

File:OC South UGF.svg

By 1 July 2006, the Southern Operational Command included 6th Army Corps (6 AK) and other units comprising:

Exercises that command units have taken part in include "Autumn-98", "reaction", "Southern redoubt-99", "Redoubt-2000", including peacekeeping – series of "Peace Shield", "Cossack Steppe," "common neighborhood", "Sea Breeze", "Fairway of Peace," "South," "cooperative partner" joint exercises with units of the armed forces of France and Italy.[http://oblrada.odessa.gov.ua/Main.aspx?sect=Page&IDPage=22206&id=462 70th anniversary of the Southern Operational Command]{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Organization

File:Ukrainian Ground Forces - Operational Command South 2017.png

Operational Command South has operational command of ground force units in Vinnytsia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, and Kherson oblasts.

= Additional forces =

The following formations of other branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, respectively the general staff of the Ukrainian ground forces, are based in the area of Operational Command South and can be assigned to the command as needed:

Leaders

Colonel General Volodymyr Shkidchenko commanded the Odesa Military District from December 1993 until it became the Southern Operational Command in February 1998.

=Commanders=

  • General of the Army Vitaliy Radetsky (1992 - 1993)
  • General of the Army Volodymyr Shkidchenko (1993 - 30 September 1998)
  • Colonel General Oleksandr Zatynaiko (30 September 1998 - 19 December 2001)
  • Colonel General Volodymyr Mozharovsky (19 December 2001 - November 2003)
  • Colonel General Hryhoriy Pedchenko (November 2003 - 11 July 2005)
  • Colonel General Ivan Svyda (11 July 2005 - 25 June 2007)
  • Lieutenant General Petro Lytvyn (25 June 2007 - 2 May 2012)
  • Major General Ihor Fedorov (2 May 2012 - 2 July 2012)
  • Lieutenant General Anatoliy Syrotenko (2 July 2012 - 11 April 2015){{Cite web |title=В Одессе сменилось руководство Южного оперативного командования. Вместо Литвина – начальник академии | Новости Одессы |url=http://dumskaya.net/news/v-odesse-smenilos-rukovodstvo-yugnogo-operativno-020440/}}
  • Major General Andriy Hryshchenko (11 April 2016 - 16 November 2017){{Cite web |date=2016-04-13 |title=Генерал армії України Степан Полторак в Одесі представив нового командувача військ оперативного командування «Південь» Сухопутних військ ЗС України {{!}} Міністерство оборони України |url=https://www.mil.gov.ua/news/2016/04/11/general-armii-ukraini-stepan-poltorak-v-odesi-predstaviv-novogo-komanduvacha-vijsk-operativnogo-komanduvannya-pivden-suhoputnih-vijsk-zs-ukraini--19170/ |access-date=2024-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413210612/https://www.mil.gov.ua/news/2016/04/11/general-armii-ukraini-stepan-poltorak-v-odesi-predstaviv-novogo-komanduvacha-vijsk-operativnogo-komanduvannya-pivden-suhoputnih-vijsk-zs-ukraini--19170/ |archive-date=13 April 2016 }}
  • Major Genera Oleh Vyshnivsky (16 November 2017 - 6 July 2019){{Cite web |date=2017-11-16 |title=В Одесі військовослужбовцям представлено нового командувача військ оперативного командування "Південь" Сухопутних військ ЗС України {{!}} Міністерство оборони України |url=https://www.mil.gov.ua/news/2017/11/16/v-odesi-vijskovosluzhbovczyam-predstavleno-novogo-komanduvacha-vijsk-operativnogo-komanduvannya-pivden-suhoputnih-vijsk-zs-ukraini/ |access-date=2023-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116181309/https://www.mil.gov.ua/news/2017/11/16/v-odesi-vijskovosluzhbovczyam-predstavleno-novogo-komanduvacha-vijsk-operativnogo-komanduvannya-pivden-suhoputnih-vijsk-zs-ukraini/ |archive-date=16 November 2017 }}{{Cite web |date=2019-07-06 |title=Командувачем сил логістики Збройних сил України призначено генерал-лейтенанта Вишнівського - новини політики {{!}} УНІАН |url=https://www.unian.ua/politics/10608627-komanduvachem-sil-logistiki-zbroynih-sil-ukrajini-priznacheno-general-leytenanta-vishnivskogo.html |access-date=2024-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706141848/https://www.unian.ua/politics/10608627-komanduvachem-sil-logistiki-zbroynih-sil-ukrajini-priznacheno-general-leytenanta-vishnivskogo.html |archive-date=6 July 2019 }}
  • Major General Ihor Palahnyuk (6 July 2019 - 2021){{Cite web |title=Командувачем сил логістики Збройних сил України призначено генерал-лейтенанта Вишнівського |url=https://www.unian.ua/politics/10608627-komanduvachem-sil-logistiki-zbroynih-sil-ukrajini-priznacheno-general-leytenanta-vishnivskogo.html |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=www.unian.ua |language=uk}}
  • Major General Andrii Kovalchuk (9 October 2021 – 16 April 2024)
  • Brigadier General Hennadii Shapovalov (16 April 2024 – 4 February 2025){{Cite web |title=Ukraine's Southern Operational Command chief steps down after being appointed NATO liaisonя |url=https://kyivindependent.com/shapovalov-steps-down/ |access-date=4 February 2025 |website=The Kyiv Independent |language=en }}

= Chiefs of staff - first deputy commanders =

  • Major General Serhiy Shaptala (2017 - October 2020){{Cite web |title=Шаптала Сергій Олександрович |url=http://www.ukrgeroes.com.ua/ShaptalaSO.html |accessdate=2019-12-08 |website=www.ukrgeroes.com.ua}}{{Cite web |title=В Николаеве военкомов и врачей медкомиссий 5 областей учили порядку на призывных пунктах |url=http://up.mk.ua/mainpage/show_item/25339 |accessdate=2019-12-08 |website=up.mk.ua}}

= Deputy commanders =

  • Major General Andriy Sokolov (2017–present){{Cite web |date=2019-10-14 |title=День Захисника України: що варто знати про сучасних генералів Збройних сил України |url=https://uprom.info/news/other/den-zahysnyka-ukrayiny-shho-varto-znaty-pro-suchasnyh-generaliv-zbrojnyh-syl-ukrayiny/ |accessdate=2019-12-15 |language=uk}}

References