Commander of 11th Corps, Hero of Ukraine Sirchenko, announces transfer of command
Brigadier General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Hero of Ukraine Serhiy Sirchenko, appointed commander of the 11th Army Corps in December 2024, announced his dismissal from office.
"There are words that are difficult to say out loud. This is one of them. Almost 500 days in office. Not in the rear. Not on paper. On the front lines – together. Together with you. On one of the most brutal sections of the front of this war… Today I am handing over command. But I am not handing over you. Because you have never been just subordinates. You are brothers-in-arms," Sirchenko wrote on the 11th Army Corps Facebook page on Saturday.
He noted that he "wasn’t an ideal commander," but "I never stood behind you—I stood next to you."
"Stand by each other as a powerful team. And never let this war take away your humanity. It is this humanity that distinguishes us from those who came to destroy us. I believe Ukraine will endure. Because I saw you, I was with you. I am proud of each and every one of you," Sirchenko addressed his fellow soldiers.
Several media outlets have reported that the change in corps command is linked to the Defense Forces’ withdrawal from the town of Siversk in Donetsk region in December 2025. Currently, the Interfax-Ukraine agency has no confirmation or denial of this information.
As reported, in May 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented state awards on the occasion of Infantry Day. Specifically, the highest title of Hero of Ukraine, along with the Order of the Gold Star, was awarded to Colonel Serhiy Sirchenko, commander of the 56th Separate Mechanized Brigade. In September of that year, the president promoted him to the rank of brigadier general and presented him with shoulder straps. At the time, Sirchenko was the chief of staff and deputy commander of the operational command Skhid of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
