Yemen's Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, announced attacks on an American aircraft carrier group twice within 24 hours on Monday, describing it as retaliation for lethal US strikes. There was no immediate comment from the United States about the Houthis' claimed attacks.
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A decree published on the presidential website said General Hnatov, a deputy chief of staff, would replace Lieutenant-General Anatoliy Barhilevych.
"We are consistently changing the armed forces to make them even more combat ready. To achieve it, we are changing the management system and introducing clear standards," Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said in a statement.
Hnatov has 27 years of military experience, having risen through the ranks from marines brigade commander to leading troops in the eastern Donetsk region.
Barhilevych would now oversee military standards and strengthen discipline in the army, the minister said.
With the war against Russia in its fourth year, Ukraine is seeking to restructure and strengthen its military as it fights the much bigger enemy.
Ukraine is on the back foot on the battlefield, with Kyiv's troops retreating from Russia's Kursk region and battling under growing pressure in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian troops have been advancing for months.
Military analysts estimate that about 880,000 people currently serve in the Ukrainian armed forces.
Despite the wartime challenges, the country has implemented changes to shed the Soviet legacy and make its military more efficient, appointing younger commanders with combat experience and supporting innovations. Last year Ukraine introduced a dedicated unmanned systems force.
At the start of this year, Ukrainian military officials said the country would move away from its brigades-based system towards a "corps" system of larger units, aiming to improve coordination among its forces spread along more than 1,000 kilometers of frontline and speed up decision-making.
One of Ukraine's top fighting units - the 3rd separate assault brigade - announced on Friday that it was reorganized into a corps.
"We plan to change the principles and methods of this war," Commander Andriy Biletskyi said in a video announcing the change. "This means changing the course of the war in favour of Ukraine."
(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by David Holmes)
Ukraine has confirmed its withdrawal from the biggest town it held in Kursk, as Russia battles the last of Kyiv’s troops out of the key region.
In early August 2024, Ukrainian troops staged an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, capturing areas they hoped could be a crucial bargaining chip in peace negotiations.
But seven months later, Kyiv’s forces are rapidly losing ground amid a major Russian offensive to recapture land.
A battleground map shared by Ukraine’s general staff on Sunday seemingly confirmed they had retreated from Sudzha, the biggest town Ukraine controlled in Kursk, and the surrounding area.
Moscow claims that recent advances from its forces have left Ukrainian troops with less 200 square km (77 square miles) in Kursk, down from 1,300 square km (500 square miles) at the peak of the incursion.
But Kyiv has denied claims that their troops have been “completely surrounded” in the region or that they have retreated from the area completely.
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