Yurii Sodol

Yurii Ivanovych Sodol (; born 26 December 1970) is a retired Ukrainian lieutenant general and was the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from February to June 2024. Before that, he was the commander of the Ukrainian Marine Corps from 2018 to 2024.

In March 2018 the Marine Corps Command was established as a new organization within the Ukrainian Navy, and Yuri Sodol was appointed its Commander. In May 2023 the Marine Corps was separated from the Navy to become an independent branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Sodol remained in this role until February 2024 and is credited with modernizing Ukraine's Marine Corps along NATO standards during his tenure.

Commander of Joint Forces In mid-February 2024 he was appointed as the commander of the Ukrainian joint forces at the front line. Sodol's appointment followed the dismissal of Valerii Zaluzhnyi from his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

While Krotevych did not disclose the general's name in his statement, sources from Ukrainska Pravda suggested that the general in question was Sodol.

On 26 June, The Washington Post published an article, which, contained alleged statements from Krotevych's letter to the SBI. The letter stated that Sodol did not lead the defence of Mariupol and did not spend any time in the city, but was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine; that Sodol did not supply the Azov Brigade with ammunition or build defences in Mariupol before the offensive; that when one of the superiors in the city asked Sodol for instructions, he replied: "We are finished" and hung up; that Sodol recently ordered Azov to advance without artillery ammunition and that the arguments as to why this was not possible led to an internal investigation against the Azov commander; and that Sodol's decisions led to the deaths of thousands of soldiers, resulting in a weakened frontline position and the loss of a large amount of territory.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, as commander of Khortytsia operational-strategic group, Sodol was responsible for preparing the defence before the repeated Russian offensive on Kharkiv oblast. Sodol also was in charge of the amphibious operation to establish a bridgehead on the Dnieper in 2023, with fighting taking place at the village of Krynky in the Kherson Oblast. By June 2024, the operation failed and the Ukrainian marines took heavy casualties. Earlier, on 28 June, Krotevych stated that he had received a response from the SBI, but was dissatisfied with it.

Dismissal On 24 June 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the replacement of Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol as the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov was appointed as his successor. Hnatov's appointment was positively received by Krotevych, who described him as a decent military officer.

On 1 November, according to Ukrainska pravda and Maryana Bezuhla, Yurii Sodol was dismissed from military service based on the conclusion of a military medical board.

Awards Hero of Ukraine (28 February 2022) Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class (22 January 2015) Order for Courage, 3rd class (14 October 2014) Medal For Military Service to Ukraine (3 December 2010) Medal "For conscientious service" 2nd class Medal "15 years of the Armed Forces of Ukraine" Medal "Veteran of the service" Award of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine "For Valor and Honor" Badge "For Achievements in Military Service" 2nd and 1st classes Badge "For Military Valor"