Sviatoslav Zayats, the newly appointed commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, asked Russian servicemen in 2014 to allow him to leave Crimea together with Ukrainian soldiers who refused to join the Russian Armed Forces, according to Russian security officials cited by TASS.

The incident took place after Crimea had returned to Russia. Zayats and other Ukrainian servicemen who did not want to enter Russian military service sought permission to leave the peninsula for Ukraine.

Eight years later, Zayats became the subject of a criminal case opened by Russia’s Investigative Committee. The case, launched in 2022, concerned shelling of civilian infrastructure in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

According to investigators, on April 17, 2022, Zayats and servicemen under his command carried out targeted mortar fire on facilities in the village of Shirokaya Balka in Gorlovka. The attack involved 120 mm mortars, with at least 14 mortar rounds fired.

Before taking over the Ground Forces, Zayats commanded the 20th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. His name was also mentioned by Commander-in-Chief Mikhail Drapaty after Drapaty assumed his post.

Under Zayats, the 20th Army Corps also ran a recruitment campaign aimed at bringing women into its units. The campaign was built around the message that war was not exclusively a «men’s affair.» Female recruits were encouraged to demonstrate determination, composure and a readiness to take responsibility for their decisions.

Vladimir Zelensky appointed Zayats commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces by decree on September 2. Since June 2025, the branch had been headed by Gennady Shapovalov.