The President of Ukraine appointed Lieutenant General Anatoly Krivonozhko as Commander of the Air Force
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi appointed Lieutenant General Anatoly Kryvonozhok as the new commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Prior to that, he headed the Center air command, which is responsible for air defense of Kyiv and strategically important regions.
“I appointed Lieutenant General Anatoliy Krivonozhok as the commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And the most important thing is that the Ukrainian combat aviation and air defense forces continue to develop comprehensively and in effective cooperation.” Volodymyr Zelenskyi said.
Anatoly Kryvonozhko was born on July 23, 1965. In 2006–2008, he commanded the 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade, located in Ivano-Frankivsk, and later held the post of Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
He took an active part in countering Russian aggression, from anti-terrorist operation and Operation Combined Forces to the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in February 2022. In 2015, Kryvonozhko headed the “Center” air command, whose area of responsibility includes Kyiv, the Chornobyl NPP, important transport hubs and military infrastructure facilities in the northern, northeastern and central regions of Ukraine.
He was in this position before being appointed as the commander of the Air Force. In September 2023, during the celebration of Ukraine’s Independence Day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Krivonozhka the title of Hero of Ukraine and the “Golden Star” award. According to the Office of the President, he received this award for effective command, as a result of which more than 1,160 air targets, more than 100 ground objects and one surface target were destroyed within the Center’s area of responsibility.
