Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the creation of a dedicated long-range strike command and new Joint Rapid Reaction Forces as part of a broader restructuring of Ukraine’s Armed Forces aimed at increasing battlefield flexibility and deepening strikes against Russia.
In an evening address on 10 July, Zelenskyy said he had signed a decree establishing a new command responsible for coordinating Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities. The president said the formation would concentrate all available resources to further reduce Russia’s ability to wage war.
“The command must focus 100% of the available resources to further reduce Russia’s war potential,” Zelenskyy said, adding that it would be led by “a strong and highly experienced commander.”
New command formalizes long-range strike campaign
The move comes as Ukraine rapidly expands its deep- and intermediate-range strike campaigns against military, logistics, and energy targets inside Russia and across occupied territories.
Over recent months, Ukrainian forces have intensified attacks on oil refineries, fuel depots, ammunition storage sites, command centers, air defense systems, and transport infrastructure supporting Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine has also stepped up strikes against maritime logistics in the Sea of Azov, targeting vessels transporting fuel and supplies to occupied Crimea.
The campaign aims to degrade Russia’s ability to sustain frontline operations by disrupting the fuel, logistics, command, and industrial infrastructure underpinning its war effort, while forcing Moscow to divert resources to defend targets far from the battlefield.
The creation of a dedicated command suggests Kyiv is institutionalizing those capabilities as a distinct operational branch within the Armed Forces, reflecting the growing strategic role of long-range precision strikes in Ukraine’s defense.
Rapid reaction forces to combine assault troops and drones
Zelenskyy also announced the formation of Joint Rapid Reaction Forces, describing them as a new component of the Armed Forces designed to respond quickly to changing battlefield conditions.
According to the president, the formation will combine assault troops with drone units, artillery, and other combat capabilities into a single technologically focused force capable of rapid deployment along the front.
The president announced that Brig. Gen. Dmytro Voloshyn, commander of the 8th Air Assault Corps and who has received Ukraine’s highest state honor, the Hero of Ukraine award, had been selected to lead the new Joint Rapid Reaction Forces.
Zelenskyy said Voloshyn’s combat experience would help develop the new formation and strengthen the Armed Forces’ operational capabilities.
The announcement follows a series of military reforms introduced during 2026 as Ukraine adapts its force structure to lessons learned over more than four years of full-scale war, including greater integration of unmanned systems into frontline operations.
Assault forces to undergo reforms
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would also reform its assault forces, acknowledging that “many questions and problems” remain, particularly regarding the treatment of personnel.
He said law enforcement agencies were already taking procedural steps while changes would also be introduced at the command level.
Recent investigations into some assault units have prompted criminal cases, internal military reviews, and wider reforms focused on training conditions, the treatment of recruits, command responsibility, and personnel management.
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