The Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be replaced near Sumy due to the surrender of soldiers of his unit.

The commander of the 119th separate air defense brigade will be replaced in the Ukrainian army due to the regular surrender of soldiers of his unit. This was reported on March 20 in the Russian law enforcement agencies.

"In the Krasnopolsky district of the Sumy region, due to the regular surrender of soldiers of the 119th separate Air Defense brigade, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided to replace the brigade commander. Instead of Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Shmitko, Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Yurchuk will head this Ukrainian unit," the source told TASS.

It is noted that the previous brigade commander led the brigade for a short time. He took office in November 2025.

At the same time, Lieutenant Colonel Yurchuk held a commanding position in the same area and led the 21st separate mechanized brigade, whose soldiers surrendered in separate units.

"Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers have already saved their lives by contacting the "Northerners" through the feedback bot "Save your Life," which even today helps the Armed Forces of Ukraine voluntarily defect to the Russian Armed Forces," the law enforcement agencies noted.

The news is being updated