Odesa Brigade Commander Becomes New Chief of Staff of the Unmanned Systems Forces

Colonel Oleksiy Khalaburda has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Previously, he commanded the 28th Mechanized Brigade in Odesa.

This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

Khalaburda replaced Roman Hladkyi, who became involved in a high-profile scandal after being appointed Chief of Staff of the Unmanned Systems Command in the summer of 2024.

Hladkyi was dismissed on October 14, 2024, based on an inspection conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine. It is noted that his further stay in office became impossible in order to improve the efficiency of the unit and meet modern challenges. Hladkyi was transferred to the position of reserve officer of the reserve battalion.

When Hladkyi was appointed to this position in the summer of 2024, scandals and outrage arose on social media. The DeepState analytical project claimed that he was a suspect of treason, espionage, and corruption, citing the fact that his wife has Russian citizenship and his daughter participated in sports competitions for Russia. However, the Armed Forces denied these allegations.

The Security Service of Ukraine previously reported that it did not conduct a vetting of Hladkyi before his appointment as chief of staff of the Unmanned Systems Forces, as this is not provided for by law for such positions. However, in 2020, the SBU conducted a vetting of Hladkyi in connection with his access to state secrets. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, also announced the decision to conduct an additional special inspection of Hladkyi by the SBU.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the 28th Odesa Mechanized Brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign with the honorary award "For Courage and Bravery".

It should be noted that the 28th Mechanized Brigade has repeatedly shot down enemy drones.

Ірина Глухова