Voloshyn to command newly created Rapid Response Forces to 'restore order' in assault units
According to Ukrainska Pravda sources, Dmytro Voloshyn, commander of the 8th Air Assault Corps, will be appointed commander of the newly created Joint Rapid Response Forces under the Ground Forces to bring order to assault regiments and overcome anarchy within them.
Dmytro Voloshyn, currently the commander of the 8th Air Assault Corps, is set to be appointed as the head of the newly formed Joint Rapid Response Forces, which will be integrated into the Ground Forces, Ukrainian Pravda (UP) reports citing two sources in the Air Assault Forces. One source stated, "Voloshyn was appointed to restore order. After Manko, after the situations with 'Skelya' (...) The paratroopers have a different approach."
Another source explained the logic behind creating the Joint Rapid Response Forces. Since creating a separate branch of the armed forces for assault troops did not succeed, the need arose to formalize the structure of assault regiments and "bring them to normal battle order." The new command will be responsible for training, discipline, and logistical support of assault regiments, and will bear accountability for their actions, as currently anarchy prevails. Essentially, assault regiments already functioned as rapid response forces deployed to the hottest sectors, so formalizing them into a proper military structure is a correct step. The idea is to retain the best practices from these units while discarding elements that do not meet regulatory standards.
According to UP, the air assault brigades, from which Voloshyn himself originates, will not be part of the new forces—only the assault regiments will be consolidated. The Air Assault Forces remain a separate and autonomous component of the Defense Forces.
The creation of the new force is likely a response to numerous scandals and violations of servicemen's rights in assault units. However, UP sources indicate that the decision to establish the Joint Rapid Response Forces was made before the recent incident involving the abduction and murder of two civilians in Kyiv region ordered by the commander of the 155th Brigade, Stanislav Luchanov, who came from the "Skelya" unit. By appointing a paratrooper to command the assault regiments, General Syrskyi—either voluntarily or under public pressure—effectively acknowledged that his reliance on assault regiments had failed.
