President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed Decree No. 910/2026 appointing a new commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This became known on September 15, 2026. Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa confirmed the personnel decision in his Telegram channel, stating that the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces would be led by military surgeon, Colonel of Medical Service Konstantyn Vitaliyovych Humenyuk. According to Palisa, the decision was made by the head of state together with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Who is Konstantyn Humenyuk
Konstantyn Humenyuk is one of the most prominent military surgeons in Ukraine over the past decade. He is the Chief Surgeon of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the command of the Medical Forces, a Colonel of Medical Service, a Candidate of Medical Sciences (2009) and a Doctor of Medical Sciences (2025). His professional record includes the title of Honored Doctor of Ukraine and the status of a laureate of the National Prize of Ukraine named after Boris Paton. Humenyuk is also a teacher, which underscores his role not only as a practicing surgeon but also as a mentor to a new generation of military medical professionals.
Frontline career: from the ATO to the Joint Forces Operation
Humenyuk's military medical career is closely tied to the combat operations in eastern Ukraine. In May 2014 he was in the zone of the anti-terrorist operation. In 2015 he served as the lead surgeon of the 59th Military Mobile Hospital, located near Luhansk. In 2017 he was appointed Chief Surgeon of the ATO, and in 2018–2019 he served as Chief Surgeon of the Joint Forces Operation. Since 2019, Konstantyn Humenyuk has held the post of Chief Surgeon of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, making him one of the most experienced and authoritative specialists in the country's military medicine.
A unique operation near Bakhmut
One of Humenyuk's most widely noted professional achievements was an operation performed in May 2022 at a military mobile hospital near Bakhmut. Under conditions of active combat, he carried out, for the first time in Ukraine, a modern laparoscopic operation to remove a kidney following a gunshot wound with destruction of the organ. This procedure required the highest level of surgical skill and was carried out in field conditions, underscoring the readiness of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces to apply advanced technologies even on the front line.
Priority goals of the new commander
Announcing the appointment, Pavlo Palisa emphasized that Konstantyn Humenyuk "has a well-deserved authority among the military and the trust of the volunteer community." The Deputy Head of the Presidential Office identified the main priority for the new commander: "preserving the life and health of the Ukrainian warrior." This formulation indicates that, amid the ongoing conflict, the key task of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces remains minimizing losses among wounded fighters through prompt and high-quality surgical care at all levels of evacuation.
Context of personnel changes in the Armed Forces
Humenyuk's appointment is part of a series of personnel decisions being made by the country's leadership in the fields of defense and state administration. Earlier, on September 2, 2026, Sviatoslav Zaits was appointed the new commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The president also signed a decree stating that the duties of the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration would be temporarily performed by Mykhailo Semikin. Thus, September 2026 has been marked by notable activity in personnel appointments, affecting both military command and regional governance.
