Yurii Sodol (Ukrainian: Юрій Іванович Содоль; born 26 December 1970) is a retired Ukrainian lieutenant general and was the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from February to June 2024.[3][4] Before that, he commanded the Ukrainian Marine Corps from 2018 to 2024.[5]
Yurii Sodol | |
|---|---|
Ю́рій Іва́нович Со́доль | |
 Sodol in 2015 | |
| Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine | |
| In office February 11, 2024 – June 24, 2024 | |
| President | Volodymyr Zelenskyy |
| Preceded by | Serhii Naiev |
| Succeeded by | Andrii Hnatov[1] |
| Commanding General of the Ukrainian Marine Corps | |
| In office March 6, 2018 – February 11, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Serhii Tartakovskyi[2] |
| Succeeded by | Dmytro Delyatytskyi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yurii Ivanovych Sodol 26 December 1970 Chuhuiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Education | Sumy Higher Artillery Command School National Defense University of Ukraine |
| Awards | Hero of Ukraine  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Branch/service |  Ukrainian Marine Corps Ukrainian Air Assault Forces |
| Years of service | 2003−2024 |
| Rank | _%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80.svg){kind=small} Lieutenant general |
| Commands | Ukrainian Marine Corps 25th Airborne Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
Early life and career
editSodol was born on 26 December 1970 in Chuhuiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. He served in the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, and until 2015 he was the commander of the 25th Airborne Brigade. From 2015 to 2018 he was the First Deputy Commander of the Air Assault Forces.[5]
In March 2018 the Marine Corps Command was established as a new organization within the Ukrainian Navy, and Yuri Sodol was appointed its Commander.[5] He was also promoted to lieutenant general.[6] In May 2023 the Marine Corps was separated from the Navy to become an independent branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[7] Sodol remained in this role until February 2024 and is credited with modernizing Ukraine's Marine Corps along NATO standards during his tenure.[8]
Commander of Joint Forces
editIn mid-February 2024 he was appointed as the commander of the Ukrainian joint forces at the front line. Sodol's appointment followed the dismissal of Valerii Zaluzhnyi from his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[8]
Complaints
editOn 23 June 2024, Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, one of the commanders of the Azov Brigade, filed an official complaint with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). Krotevych has called for an investigation into the actions of an unnamed military general, accusing him of causing more Ukrainian soldier casualties than any Russian general.[9][10]
While Krotevych did not disclose the general's name in his statement, sources from Ukrainska Pravda suggested that the general in question was Sodol.[10]
For a long time before his dismissal, the People's Deputy Maryana Bezuhla was calling Sodol in interviews and on social media a "criminal" and a "murderer" on a daily basis.[11]
On 26 June, The Washington Post published an article, which, according to them, published statements from Krotevych's letter to the SBI. The letter stated that Sodol did not lead the defence of Mariupol and did not spend an any hour in the city, but was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine; that Sodol did not supply the Azov Brigade with ammunition or build defences in Mariupol before the offensive; that when one of the superiors in the city asked Sodol for instructions, Sodol replied: "We are finished" and hung up; that Sodol recently ordered Azov to advance without artillery ammunition and that when arguments were made as to why this was not possible, an internal investigation was launched against the Azov commander; and that Sodol's decisions led to the deaths of thousands of soldiers, resulting in a weak position on the frontline and the loss of a large amount of territory. [12]
Also, according to Ukrainska Pravda, Sodol as commander of Khortytsia operational-strategic group was responsible for preparing the defence before the repeated Russian offensive on Kharkiv oblast. Sodol also was in charge of the amphibious operation to establish a bridgehead on the Dnieper in 2023, with fighting taking place at the village of Krynky in the Kherson Oblast. By June 2024, the operation failed and the Ukrainian marines took heavy casualties.[6]
On 29 June, the Ukrainian media Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing its own sources, that the SBI had replied to Krotevych that it would check General Sodol's actions during the Russian offensive.[13] Earlier, on 28 June, Krotevych stated that he had received a response from the SBI, but was dissatisfied with it.[14]
Dismissal
editOn 24 June 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the replacement of Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol as the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov was appointed as his successor.[1] Hnatov's appointment was positively received by Krotevych, who described him as a decent military officer.[15]
On 1 November, according to Ukrainska pravda and Maryana Bezuhla, Yurii Sodol was dismissed from military service based on the conclusion of a military medical board. [16]
Awards
edit- Hero of Ukraine (28 February 2022)[17]
- Order of Bogdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class (22 January 2015)[18]
- Order for Courage, 3rd class (14 October 2014)[19]
- Medal For Military Service to Ukraine (3 December 2010)[20]
- Medal "For conscientious service" 2nd class
- Medal "15 years of the Armed Forces of Ukraine"
- Medal "Veteran of the service"
- Award of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine "For Valor and Honor"
- Badge "For Achievements in Military Service" 2nd and 1st classes
- Badge "For Military Valor"
References
edit- ^ a b Kateryna Hodunova (24 June 2024). "Zelensky dismisses Lieutenant General accused by soldiers of heavy losses". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "В України сформують Корпус морської піхоти" [Marine Corps will be formed in Ukraine]. mil.in.ua (in Ukrainian). 8 January 2018.
- ^ "Zelensky's A-team: Who is who among Ukraine's new army commanders". www.france24.com. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Sauer, Pjotr (24 June 2024). "Zelenskiy replaces commander leading war on Russia in eastern Ukraine". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Юрій Содоль – командувач морської піхоти" [Yurii Sodol - commander of the Naval Infantry]. mil.in.ua (in Ukrainian). 6 March 2018.
- ^ a b Strashkulych, Anhelina; Kyrylenko, Olha (26 June 2024). "Changes in Ukraine's military top brass: who was fired and why, and what we can expect from their successors". Ukrainska Pravda.
- ^ "On the Day of the Marines, the President of Ukraine visited the frontline positions of Ukrainian defenders in the Donetsk region and presented state awards". Office of the President of Ukraine. 23 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Zelensky's A-team: Who is who among Ukraine's new army commanders". France 24. 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Zelensky dismisses Lieutenant General accused by soldiers of heavy losses". The Kyiv Independent. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b Santora, Marc (24 June 2024). "Zelensky Removes a Top General Amid Criticism of Excessive Casualties". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ Chernysh, Oleh (26 June 2024). "За что Зеленский уволил генерала Содоля - BBC News Русская служба". BBC.
- ^ Khurshudyan, Isabelle (26 June 2024). "Amid war setbacks and complaints, Ukraine changes another top general". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "Former Joint Forces Commander Sodol is responsible for defence preparations in Kharkiv Oblast, Azov chief of staff tells investigators". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "Начштабу «Азову» Кротевич отримав відповідь від ДБР щодо заяви на Содоля. Каже, що незадоволений нею". hromadske.ua (in Ukrainian). 28 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "«Сподіваюсь, новини стануть кращими». Кротевич вважає нового командувача Об'єднаних сил Гнатова достойним офіцером". nv.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "Former Commander of Joint Forces of Ukrainian Armed Forces dismissed based on report by military medical board". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Зеленський присвоїв звання Герой України 12 військовослужбовцям, із них шістьом посмертно – указ" [Zelensky awarded the title Hero of Ukraine to 12 servicemen, six of them posthumously - decree]. Interfax-Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Указ Президента України від 22 січня 2015 року № 26/2015. Decree of the President of Ukraine from 22 January 2015 no. 26/2015 (in Ukrainian).
- ^ Указ президента Украины от 14 жовтня 2014 года № 807/2014. Decree of the President of Ukraine from 14 October 2014 no. 807/2014 (in Ukrainian).
- ^ Указ президента Украины от 3 грудня 2010 года № 1064/2010. Decree of the President of Ukraine from 3 December 2010 no. 1064/2010 (in Ukrainian).