As in any army in the world, Ukrainian troops are divided by rank. This is necessary to comply with subordination, determine the degree of responsibility, issue and execute orders. The procedure for awarding military ranks in Ukraine is determined by law.
Historical reference
The system of ranks was established in March 1992 after the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service”. The military ranks of Ukraine initially corresponded to the original structure of the military ranks of the Soviet Union. Today APU have two types of ranks:
- army used by ground forces and air forces;
- marine for the Navy.
Descriptors
Ukraine, like the Russian Federation, got rid of the “aviation” descriptor in the ranks of air forces. What is the feature? In Ukraine, the military rank of an employee of the guard units, formations or ships can be supplemented with the word “guards”. The ranks of employees of legal, medical or veterinary professions must have the prefix “justice”, “medical service” or “veterinary service”.
The ranks of citizens in reserve or retired have descriptors of “reserve” or “retired,” respectively. Ukraine also supplemented the spectrum with the ranks of the army general and admiral of the Navy.
General posts of the Armed Forces
In accordance with the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated March 21, 2002, 277/2002, 153 senior officer posts are taken into account in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, of which by category:
- Army General of Ukraine - 2 people;
- Admiral / Colonel General - 10;
- Vice Admiral / Lieutenant General - 44;
- Rear Admiral / Major General - 97.
Numerical composition
The ratio of the number of senior officers (VOS) to other categories of officers is 0.3%. According to the draft State Program for the Development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine until 2020, it is planned to maintain proportions within 0.3%. Since 2020, this indicator has been provided at the level of 0.2%.
At the OSI posts, 141 people are currently serving in the military, including:
- senior officers - 80;
- Colonels - 61.
The structure of the future army
From 2017, it is planned to gradually introduce a new structure of the military ranks of Ukraine for naval and ground forces. The sergeant corps will expand significantly. The posts of the chief sergeant, master sergeant, staff sergeant, senior and chief master sergeant will appear.
For the officer corps of the ground forces, the changes will presumably affect the generals. In particular, the post of brigadier general will be introduced (according to NATO classifier OF-6). In the ranking card, he will be between the colonel and the major general. However, the new system has not yet been approved by the president, but the gradual unification of ranks with NATO standards is obvious.
Current ranks
At the moment, the following military ranks of Ukraine are operating in the troops:
- Soldier (NATO code OR-1).
- Senior soldier (OR-2).
- Junior Sergeant (OR-4).
- Sergeant (OR-6).
- Senior Sergeant (OR-7).
- Petty Officer (OR-8).
- Warrant Officer (OR-9).
- Senior Warrant Officer (OR-9).
For officers:
- Cadet.
- Junior Lieutenant (OF-1).
- Lieutenant (OF-1).
- Senior Lieutenant (OF-1).
- Captain (OF-2).
- Major (OF-3).
- Lieutenant Colonel (OF-4).
- Colonel (OF-5).
- Major General (OF-7).
- Lieutenant General (OF-8).
- Colonel General (OF-9).
- Army General (OF-10).
The reform
Until 2009, Ukrainian troops used military insignia of the Soviet model. Since 2009, the process of reorganizing the rank system and insignia has been launched. It was decided to introduce new military ranks in Ukraine gradually.
The cadets of the first graduation of the Training Center of the Sergeant Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkov at the same time became the first professional sergeants who received fundamentally new insignia on uniform.
This innovation aims to approximate NATO standards. Before the reform, for example, the Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was easy to confuse with the ordinary major, since both had only one star on Soviet-style uniforms. On the new major general has two stars, like most NATO countries. Also, an improved system of insignia makes it possible to introduce new ranks, such as brigadier general and new types of sergeants. The renewed epaulettes of the generals have crossed maces, which used to be the kleinods (regalia) of the hetman, colonels and the Ataman of Kosheva. These experimental insignia did not receive wide practical application and were partially forgotten.
New insignia
By 2015, the armed forces continued to use insignia and the Soviet-style rank system. Although in the case of ground forces and air forces, the old signs of the officer corps remained, and those proposed in 2009 for the sub-officers were widely recognized and thus replaced the Soviet symbols.
Five-beam officer stars decided to replace the diamond-shaped. It was such stars back in June 1992 that the Commission for the Development of Military Symbols approved. The basis was then taken on the experience of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian State of 1918, which used symbols in the form of rhombuses.
Wide and narrow chevrons are offered insignia for sergeants. They were used in the systems of insignia of the armed forces of the UNR in 1917 and 1919. The chevron ornament was taken from the sleeve patches of the military of the Galician army, introduced in 1919.
Another element of sergeant differences is the arc. The combination of these symbols makes it easy to create marks for additional titles that are planned to be introduced in the future.
The rank of junior officer is designated by the stars. Higher ranks are distinguished by a wicker sign. Three woven cords formed the sleeve insignia of the ranks of regimental foremen of the Galician army. The shoulder strap of the head officers of the Ukrainian Army of 1918 also formed a braid of three cords, which was wrapped around another cord. The mentioned categories of military personnel correspond exactly to the categories of senior officers of modern armed forces.