Ukraine's Aidar regiment asks Zelensky and Drapatyi to reverse commander Kovalenko's dismissal

The 24th Separate Assault Regiment "Aidar" of Ukraine's armed forces, which grew out of a volunteer battalion fighting in the war against Russia's invasion, has appealed to President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi. It asks them to cancel the decision to dismiss Major Oleksandr Kovalenko, callsign "Hook", as the regiment's commander. The appeal was published on the regiment's social media.

What happened

According to the regiment, the decision to remove Kovalenko from the post of commander of military unit A3488 was taken on 31 October 2026. The regiment says that replacing the leadership of a combat unit without cause during wartime is unacceptable.

Kovalenko is a Hero of Ukraine and has served the country since 2014, including in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and the Joint Forces Operation (JFO). The statement credits him with years of combat experience, a high level of professionalism and the unquestioned trust of his personnel.

The regiment's arguments

The regiment points out that volunteer formations have always had commanders from their own ranks, even after becoming part of the armed forces. In the soldiers' view, only a commander who has walked the combat path alongside his personnel knows how to use the unit most effectively.

The personnel, the statement says, categorically disagree with the appointment of new leaders who have not shared the unit's combat path from the beginning. The regiment stresses that Aidar continues to carry out its combat tasks.

The statement urges the senior military leadership to review the personnel decision, keep Kovalenko as commander and take combat experience, professionalism and the trust of personnel into account in similar decisions. The source does not say who made the dismissal decision or what the reasons for it were.