EURASIA Russian Commentary On The New Ukrainian Chief of the General Staff OE Watch Commentary: Perhaps signaling a change in approach to the conflict in , newly elected President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has replaced a number of key officials within the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. The accompanying excerpt from the Russian military weekly, Military-Industrial Courier (VPK) examines the background and recent statements of the newly appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Ruslan Homchak.

According to the article, General Homchak has a solid reputation. As a cadet, he graduated from the USSR’s most prestigious military school (Moscow Higher Military Command School named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR) and then went on to serve in a number of important command positions, while continuing to advance his military education. As the article points out, prior to his appointment as Chief of the General Staff, Homchak “served as the chief inspector of the Ministry of Defense,” where he gained a thorough knowledge “in almost every part of the .”

This Russian article portrays General Homchak as “known for the failure of the operation, Lieutenant General Ruslan Homchak, Chief of the General which ended with the ‘Ilovaisky cauldron’” in August 2014, when Russian forces encircled Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruslan_Khomchak,_2019_(cropped).jpg Ukrainian troops, resulting in “400 killed and more than 400 wounded, about 160 missing and CCA 4.0 300 captured.” The article claims that “blame for the Ilovayskaya tragedy rests entirely on the ex-president and the former chief of the General Staff,” but it also casts doubt on General Homchak since “he was one of those who successfully escaped the encirclement.” It goes on to parse some of General Homchak’s recent statements regarding the conflict in SE Ukraine, suggesting that he will take a more measured approach toward Russia and the separatist regions. For instance, instead of promoting the “hysteria fanned by Zelenskiy’s hawkish opponents,” and recently remarked, “there will be no direct invasion [by Russia] tomorrow.” Similarly, instead of exacerbating the situation surrounding the detained Ukrainian sailors, Homchak said, “I cannot evaluate the Kerch operation... It’s too bad that they are in captivity, but it’s good that they are alive… I am sure they will be released from captivity.”

The article concludes with the obligatory Kremlin assertion that the US is the main culprit behind this conflict, claiming that General Homchak “meets with representatives of the United States almost daily, tirelessly thanking them for the consistent support of Ukraine and for ‘resisting aggression from the Russian Federation.’” End OE Watch Commentary (Finch)

“…Homchak is a real combat general who does not bend. He would rather put a bullet in his head, than surrender to the enemy…”

Source: “Valery Gromak, “Укротитель боевых петухов (Tamer of Battle Roosters),” Voyenno-Promyshlennyy Kuryer VPK [Military- Industrial Courier], 11 June 2019. https://vpk-news.ru/articles/50766

One of his first decrees of the sixth president of Ukraine was to fire General Viktor Muzhenko, Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and appoint Lieutenant General Ruslan Homchak to this position….What is his track record? From February 2017, Homchak served as the chief inspector of the Ministry of Defense. In this position, he inspected almost every part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine…The new Chief of General Staff has a solid education. In the , he graduated from the Moscow Higher Military Command School named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, whose graduates are informally called Kremlin cadets…. As one of the best, Khomchak was sent to serve in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSVG). Next in the record is the Belarusian Red Banner Military District. Then in independent Ukraine, Khomchak graduated from the National Academy of Defense. He commanded the 300th Independent Mechanized Regiment, the 72nd Independent Mechanized Brigade, the 6th Army Corps… “Homchak is a real combat general who does not bend. He would rather put a bullet in his head, than surrender to the enemy,” said Gennady Korban… Most of all, Ruslan Homchak is known for the failure of the operation, which ended with the “Ilovaisky cauldron”, where, according to official data, the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to 400 killed and more than 400 wounded, about 160 missing and 300 who were captured…. Those who survived the meat grinder, believe that the blame for the Ilovayskaya tragedy rests entirely on the ex-president Petro Poroshenko and already former chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko. There are many questions to Ruslan Homchak - he is one of those who successfully left the encirclement…. Since the appointment, Ruslan Homchak has already been noted by a number of statements that are intended to appease the hysteria fanned by Zelensky’s hawkish opponents… “I think that there will be no direct invasion tomorrow….” “I cannot evaluate the Kerch operation ... Of course, there was no need to put the sailors at risk. It’s too bad that they are in captivity, but it’s good that they are alive, considering that they have opened fire on them and they could die. I am sure: they will be released from captivity ... The new chief of the General Staff was noted and that he meets with representatives of the United States almost daily, tirelessly thanks them for the consistent support of Ukraine and for “resisting aggression from the Russian Federation.”

OE Watch | July 2019 19