Oleh Ivashchenko

Force in Play

Appointed January 2, 2026 to replace Budanov as HUR chief

Russia escalated missile and drone strikes in the week before the first trilateral talks since February, damaging energy facilities in 12 regions on Nov 9. At least four people were killed in attacks on Odesa and the Kyiv region, a 2-year-old was injured in Kharkiv, and Dnipro and Kamianske lost power.

Updated 2 days ago

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Serving as GUR chief since January 2026

On April 20, Ukraine struck two large Russian Navy landing ships — the Yamal and the Nikolai Filchenkov — in Sevastopol Bay, disabling an estimated $150 million in naval assets and destroying a Podlet-K1 radar station. The same night, drones hit the Tuapse oil refinery in Krasnodar for the second time in a week, igniting tank farm fires at one of Russia's ten largest refineries. These were the latest in a sustained campaign that has forced Russia's Black Sea Fleet to abandon its historic base in Crimea and retreat to Novorossiysk, where it is still being hit.

Updated May 31