Public outcry follows decision to appoint controversial Roman Hladkyi as Chief of Staff of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces – photos
Pravda Ukraine
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has announced that Captain 1st Rank Roman Hladkyi had been appointed as Chief of Staff of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) Command. This decision has sparked outrage among social media users and led to public outcry, though the AFU has denied all related allegations.
Source: AFU on Facebook; Ukrainska Pravda sources
Details: Information about Hladkyi’s appointment emerged online earlier and caused a public outrage.
Ukrainian lawmaker Mariana Bezuhla has claimed that Hladkyi “not only lacks experience in working with UAVs but was also suspected of high treason, espionage, and corruption. Additionally, his wife holds Russian citizenship, and his daughter has represented Russia in competitions”.
“It remains unclear how he passed the vetting process by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and continues to hold such high positions. He’s a native of Crimea, a naval captain with a questionable reputation, and has no background in working with drones. From what I understand, the appointment of this individual as chief of staff appears to be a deliberate decision by [Oleksandr] Syrskyi [Commander-in-Chief of the AFU],” the lawmaker added.
A little later, DeepState, a group of military analysts, reacted to Hladkyi’s appointment.
“Roman Hladkyi is a suspect in high treason, espionage and corruption. His wife has Russian citizenship, and his daughter has represented Muscovy (Russia – ed.) in sports competitions. Is there really no one in the entire AFU worthy of the Chief of Staff of the USF, and they need a person who has never had anything to do with drones?” DeepState said in a statement.
DeepState also posted photos of Russian medals reportedly awarded to Hladkyi’s daughter for her achievements in sports competitions.
The Ukrainian military also began mentioning this fact to Ukrainska Pravda. They expressed outrage at the appointment and described it as “a case of mutual favours”.
In 2018, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry announced Roman Hladkyi’s dismissal from his role as Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, citing inadequate performance of official duties.
In April 2018, Ukrainian news outlet Dumska reported that Hladkyi had been suspended for the duration of an internal investigation into financial and economic irregularities, as well as because his wife, Olena, held Russian citizenship.
There is currently no information about Hladkyi’s dismissal on Ukraine’s Defence Ministry website. The only indication of the past message is the inscription in the link itself.
However, it is available in the web archive.
Ukrainska Pravda sources point out that the court register shows Hladkyi sued Ukraine’s Security Service in 2020 after his access to state secrets was revoked.
Following a surge of criticism, the AFU issued a statement on Facebook. Notably, this statement was copied from the Facebook page of the USF Command. The page itself was created less than 24 hours earlier.
In the message, Captain 1st Rank Roman Hladkyi was described as “an officer with many years of experience in the AFU, possessing relevant military education and significant experience in senior positions within the AFU”.
In particular, it is indicated that from 2020 to 2023, Hladkyi held the positions of Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Joint Forces Command and Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces of the AFU.
It is also reported that Hladkyi underwent specialised training in Canada and, with the onset of the large-scale Russian invasion, “carried out tasks on various fronts, including organising anti-landing defence along the coast in Odesa”.
The AFU also emphasised that during 2018-2019, Hladkyi “completed all necessary checks by the Security Service of Ukraine and holds a security clearance for handling information with the highest level of secrecy”.
This message drew numerous outraged comments on social media, with users describing the appointment and the AFU’s statement as “treason,” “shame,” and “nepotism.” They also highlighted that the AFU leadership had not addressed concerns about Hladkyi’s case of treason, the revocation of access to state secrets, Hladkyi’s wife’s Russian citizenship, or his daughter’s representing Russia in competitions.
Ukrainska Pravda has asked the SSU to comment on the issue of Hladkyi’s access to state secrets.
Background:
- On 7 May, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers (the government) supported President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s draft decree, prepared by Ukraine’s Defence Ministry and the General Staff, to create a separate branch of the Armed Forces – the Unmanned Systems Forces.
- On 10 June, Ukraine’s General Staff announced that Vadym Sukharevskyi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the AFU, had been appointed commander of the USF.
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