Operational Command West


Operational Command West (OC West) (Ukrainian: Оперативне командування «Захід»; ОК «Захід») is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in western Ukraine. Its headquarters is located in Rivne.

Operational Command West
Оперативне командування «Захід»
Operational Command West Shoulder sleeve insignia (2020-)
Founded1998
Country Ukraine
TypeMilitary district
Part ofArmed Forces of Ukraine
HeadquartersRivne
Commanders
Current
commander		Major General Serhiy Litvinov

History

When Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union, there were three Military Districts on its territory. These were the Kyiv, Odessa and Carpathian Military Districts. In 1998, the Western Operational Command was created from the Carpathian Military District.[1]

Map of the Operational Command West shown in dark green

By 1 July 2006, the Western Operational Command consisted of units directly subordinated to the command and to the 13th Army Corps. These units were:

In October 2013, Operational Command North was created in Rivne. The Western Operational Command's headquarters was moved to Lviv and disbanded in August 2015. In November 2013, the 80th Airmobile Regiment was upgraded to brigade strength.[2] From the beginning of 2015, Operational Command North was moved to Chernihiv. Operational Command West headquarters remained in Rivne.[3] Major General Ihor Dovhan led the command from 2015.[4]

In October 2015, the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade was formed in the command.[5][6] During late January and early February 2016, units of Operational Command West participated in joint training exercises with British instructors in Rivne. [7] On 5 February, the command was assigned responsibility for Ground Forces troops in Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi Oblasts.[8] As of December of that year, it included the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, 128th Separate Mountain Brigade, and 44th Separate Artillery Brigade.[9] In March 2017, Major General Oleksandr Pavlyuk became commander of OC West after Dovhan was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Ground Forces for Combat Training.[10]

Organization
Structure of the Operational Command West in 2017 as per the best available Ukrainian language sources.

Operational Command West has operational command of ground force units in Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi oblasts.

Additional forces

The following formations of other branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, respectively the general staff of the Ukrainian ground forces, are based in the area of Operational Command West and can be assigned to the command as needed:

  • Air Force:
    • 1st 1st Radio Technical Brigade, in Lipniki
    • 11th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, in Shepetivka
    • 76th Communication Regiment, in Lipniki
    • 223rd Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, in Stryi
    • 540th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, in Kamianka-Buzka
    • 17th Electronic Warfare Battalion, in Kolomyia
    • 352nd Airfield Engineer Battalion, in Khmelnytskyi
  • Special Operations Forces:
    • Special Operations Center West, in Khmelnytskyi (former 8th Special Forces Regiment)
    • 140th Special Forces Center, in Khmelnytskyi
    • 74th Information and Psychological Operations Center, in Lviv

Commanders
  • Lieutenant General Valeriy Stepanov (1992)
  • Colonel General Vasyl Sobkov (1993–1994)
  • Colonel General Petro Shuliak (1994–1998)
  • Colonel General Serhiy Chernilevsky (1998–1999)
  • Colonel General Mykola Petruk (2003–2004)
  • Lieutenant General Mykhailo Kutsyn (2004–2010)
  • Major General Viktor Hanushchak (2010; acting)
  • Lieutenant General Yuri Domanskii (2010 – May 2012)
  • Lieutenant General Ihor Kolesnik (?-2015)
  • Major General Ihor Dovhan (2015–March 2017)[10]
  • Major General Oleksandr Pavlyuk (March 2017–present)[10]

References
  1. Kuzmuk, O.I. (2011). "Еволюція структури Збройних Сил України (1991-2011 рр.)" [Evolution of the Structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (1991–2011)] (PDF). Viysʹkovo-naukovyy visnyk [Military-Scientific Bulletin] (16): 55.
  2. "80-й окремий аеромобільний полк – desant-ukrain" [80th Separate Airmobile Regiment]. desantukrain (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  3. "Ukrainian Military Pages: Сухопутні війська". www.ukrmilitary.com. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  4. "Commander of Operational Command "West" checked prepare one of the teams in Lviv and awarded soldiers". Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  5. "В Україні сформували нову гірсько-штурмову бригаду ЗСУ – Новини – Український тиждень, Тиждень.ua". tyzhden.ua. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  6. "У Коломиї створили нову 10 гірсько-штурмову бригаду | 10 гірсько-штурмова бригада". 10brygada.com.ua. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  7. "На Рівненщині закінчився курс підготовки українських підрозділів за участю інструкторів Збройних Сил Великої Британії" [In Rivne ended training course with the participation of Ukrainian units of the Armed Forces instructors UK]. mil.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  8. "Військово-адміністративний поділ території України" [Military Administrative Divisions of Ukraine]. Verkhovna Rada. Decree No. 39/2016 (in Ukrainian). 5 February 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  9. Holcomb, Franklin (December 2016). "The Order of Battle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: A Key Component in European Security" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War: 12. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "У Рівному представили нового керівника ОК «Захід»" [New commander of OC West introduced in Rivne]. Radio Trek (in Ukrainian). 22 March 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
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