Policy

Just three days after the high-profile interview, General Nayev was sent to the front

“I arrived at the place of combat missions. I’m getting up to speed, studying the composition of forces and means.” This is what the former commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, wrote on his Facebook page about his combat assignment, according to [Kommersant].

He did not say where he would serve, but shared his impressions:

“I am looking at tired but unbreakable soldiers. Each of them is a story of courage, pain and defiance. We hold the defense not only with weapons, but also with the strength of our spirit. We hold the line because those we love are behind us. We know what we are fighting for.”

As you know, the story of General Nayev’s new appointment became public after he gave a high-profile interview to Ukrainska Pravda, and almost immediately afterwards received a combat order to go to the post of commander of the Velyka Novosilka tactical group. This was reported by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing its own source.

In an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda, Nayev said that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the actions taken in a short time were initiatives, independent decisions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny and other commanders. [Kommersant]reported on this. According to Nayev, it was necessary to make a decision in advance to use the Armed Forces (i.e. to give the command to military leaders to start preparing and implementing the planned actions), to introduce the legal regime of martial law, and to increase the number of troops through mobilization.

Commenting on Nayev’s appointment to the army, journalist Yuriy Butusov suggested that it was Supreme Commander-in-Chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy who reacted so strongly to the general’s sensational interview with Ukrayinska Pravda. Butusov wrote on Facebook: “Our sources say that the leadership of the Armed Forces received a direct order from President Zelensky.”

As reported by [Kommersant], from 2018 to 2019, Serhiy Nayev served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while also heading the Joint Operational Headquarters and commanding the Joint Forces Operation. In 2020, he again became the head of the Joint Forces and remained in this position until February 2024. For his service, Serhiy Nayev was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in 2022 and has received a number of state awards.