Operation Command North

Operation Command "North"
Air and ground army groups (Operation Command North is shown in green)
Active	1996 - present
Country	Ukraine
Branch	Ground Forces
Role	administrative control[1]
Garrison/HQ	Chernihiv[2]
Anniversaries	15 August
Commanders
Chief of the Directorate	Major General Anatoliy Syrotenko
Insignia
Ground Forces Sleeve patch Right arm
Main branch insignia collar
Territorial Directorate "North" Sleeve patch Left arm
Operation Command North sleeve patch

Operation Command North is a command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in northern Ukraine. It was formed in 2013 from the Western Operational Command and Territorial Directorate North by reforming the 13th Army Corps.

The operation command traces its history back to Territorial Directorate "North", which was created on the basis of Northern Territorial Operational Command by Directive №322/1/010 of the Minister of Defence of Ukraine on 20 May 2005.^[3]

The previous Northern Operational Command was created in 1996^[4] and based on the 1st Army Corps that continued the traditions of the 1st Guard Red-Banner Army. It encompassed six oblasts: Poltava, Sumy, Kiev, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy. The command consisted of units and military formations of the 8th Army Corps.

On 15 August 2005, temporary Chief of the Directorate Colonel Yuriy Horoliuk signed the first Order within the Directive. This day is considered the creation date for the Directorate. The Territorial Directorate "North" was the first to switch to a new system of control.^[3]

History

When Ukraine gained independence, the 1st Guards Army was stationed on Ukrainian territory with its headquarters at Chernihiv. During the early 1990s, the army was reformed into the 1st Army Corps. In 1996, the Northern Operational and Territorial Command was formed from the corps. At the beginning of 1998, the command was split into the Northern Operational Command, managing operations in the area. The Northern Territorial Command controlled other functions. In August 2005, Territorial Directorate "North" was established from the Northern Operational Command.

The Directorate was responsible for territory spanning over 196,000 km² (75,676 sq mi), in which 15,000,000 people lived in 2008. The oblasts (provinces) of Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kiev, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy were all are under the Directorate control. The Directorate was in charge of the 7 oblasts and Kiev City Military Commissariat, 135 regional military commissariats, 530 military units and bases.^[3] As of 2008, the mission of the directorate was to organize territorial defence, recruit conscripts and contract soldiers and manage infrastructure.^[3]

In November 2013, the directorate was reformed into Operation Command North. The command absorbed units of the disbanded 13th Army Corps.

Commanders

This table includes commanders of Northern Operational Command, Territorial Directorate "North" and Operation Command North.

Military Rank	Name	Term of Office
		Start	End
Colonel General	Viktor Kolotov	1996	1998
Colonel General	Oleh Shustenko	2000	2005
Colonel	Yuriy Horoliuk[3]	15 August 2005	2005
Major General	Serhiy Bessarab[3]	2005	2007
Major General	Anatoliy Syrotenko[3]	2007	2012
Lieutenant General	Ihor Kolesnik	November 2013	2015

See also

• Kiev Military District

References

1. (Ukrainian) 3rd anniversary of creation of the Directorate
2. (Ukrainian) Contract personnel of the Directorate
3. "У Чернігові відбулися урочисті збори та святковий концерт з нагоди 3-ї річниці з дня створення Територіального управління “Північ” Сухопутних військ Збройних Сил України" [Meeting and concert held in Chernihiv for the 3rd anniversary of Territorial Directorate "North"]. mil.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 15 August 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
4. Brief history of the Ukrainian military.