Zabrodskyi Mykhailo Vitalievich – Ukrainian military leader, Lieutenant General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, commander of the 95th separate airmobile brigade (2012-2014), commander of the Air Assault Forces (2014-2019), People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the IX convocation (2019-2023), Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2023-2024).
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on January 24, 1973 in Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro). He grew up in a military family.
He received his education at the Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky Military Engineering and Space Academy in St. Petersburg.
He also graduated from the Army Command College and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the United States of America (USA).
Career
After graduating from the Military Engineering and Space Academy, Zabrodsky served under contract in the Russian Federation (RF) for 5 years. After returning to Ukraine, he continued to serve in the 95th Separate Airmobile Brigade.
In 2009, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he served as chief of staff and first deputy brigade commander.
In the fall of the same year, he headed the Ukrainian contingent in Kosovo, which was part of the Ukrainian-Polish peacekeeping battalion.
In January 2013, Zabrodsky headed the 95th separate airmobile brigade in Zhytomyr.
After the outbreak of hostilities in eastern Ukraine in 2014, he took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). Under his command, the brigade operated near Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, and also held Mount Karachun.
In the summer, Zabrodsky’s brigade raided the enemy’s rear. In just 2 weeks, the fighters covered about 470 km.
From March 2015 to August 2019, Zabrodskyi commanded the Airborne Forces of Ukraine. In particular:
- On June 3-4, 2015, he led Ukrainian forces during the battles for Maryinka;
- From November 2017 to March 2018, he headed the ATO forces.
In 2023-2024, he served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Political Activities
In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Zabrodskyi went to the Verkhovna Rada from the European Solidarity party. In August, he became a people’s deputy of the IX convocation.
On March 17, 2023, he submitted an application for resignation due to the transition to work in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Already on March 20, the Rada terminated his deputy powers ahead of schedule.
