Got rid of a rival: Syrsky disbanded the ‘Dnipro’ group led by Drapaty

At the end of September, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi disbanded the operational-strategic group “Dnipro” (formerly “Khortytsia”), which had been led by Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi. Its functions are being transferred to troop groupings and newly created corps.

This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda with reference to sources, including one colonel.

According to the outlet, Drapatyi will retain his post as Commander of the Joint Forces and will lead a grouping on the northeastern front. His area of responsibility will be reduced by about half.

A Ukrainian Armed Forces colonel described Syrskyi’s decision as “a way to remove a competitor.”

“On the one hand, this is a logical step, because we are eliminating the OSH (operational-strategic groupings), which should indeed disappear with the transition to corps. But on the other hand, this step doesn’t change anything, because Syrskyi still commands everything. What reforms? Not a single corps yet commands its full set of troops, no one has maneuvering rights. We got rid of tactical groups, but now in the Serebrianskyi Forest one has been created again,” the officer said.

The Telegram channel Deep State confirmed the disbandment, saying it was part of the transition to a corps-based system. However, it noted that this system is far from effective everywhere.

“Today the front is divided into sectors assigned to corps, which by design should be responsible for those very areas. But in most cases, only the corps headquarters moved in, still trying to command a patchwork of units without a full complement of brigades. In practice, corps now function no differently from the OTGs (operational-tactical groups), which were disbanded because of this reform. Likewise, it is impossible to eliminate ‘tactical groups’ formed from quickly assembled fighters without cohesion, which usually leads to poor results. Unfortunately, the Serebrianskyi forestry could not be saved this way,” the channel wrote.

According to Deep State, operational-strategic groupings could coexist with corps.

“If OTGs have discredited themselves, operational-strategic groupings (OSGVs) still make sense as temporary wartime command structures. They are directly responsible for conducting combat operations, coordinating unified command in operational zones, managing resource distribution, logistics, etc., which should strengthen coordination between corps. Corps, meanwhile, should primarily focus on their area of responsibility, their units, and their supply. But now a different chain of command has been built: operational command (OC) → corps. In practice this shows poor results. OCs, as permanent military administration bodies, should mainly handle defense organization (something we lack in many areas), personnel training, reserves, replenishment, logistics, and so on. Now they also have to coordinate between corps while keeping up with combat operations and other duties,” the channel explained.

It added that soldiers are already complaining about inefficiency in the 20th Corps’ area of responsibility, where territory is being lost as a result.

The “Dnipro” grouping had covered a large and tense stretch of the front — from Zaporizhzhia to Kharkiv region, including Dnipropetrovsk region, where Russia has recently been advancing most actively. It was also responsible for distributing ammunition between brigades.

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