Ukrainian military man, Lieutenant General, Hero of Ukraine Serhiy Nayev was born on April 30. Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom Valeriy Zaluzhny congratulated his friend.
Zaluzhny wrote important words in his Telegram channel.
"The fate of an officer is difficult and unpredictable. Not everyone can handle it. But it is what puts the right people on the path of life. Thank you for your knowledge and service. I am proud of our acquaintance and friendship. Happy Birthday, Sergey Ivanovich!" - said Zaluzhny.
Serhiy Nayev has been in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since May 1993. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he served in various positions in the Western and Southern Operational Commands. As part of the 7th Mechanized Regiment of the 24th Mechanized Division, he commanded a platoon, then a reconnaissance company, and later a battalion.
He was the commander of the 820th mechanized regiment of the 128th division. And in the early 2000s - the commander of the 28th separate mechanized brigade. In 2006-2007 he was a student of the faculty of training specialists of the operational-strategic level of the National Defense Academy of Ukraine. As the best graduate he was awarded the distinction - the Sword of the Queen of Great Britain, which he received from the hands of the ambassador of this state to Ukraine.
From 2007 to early 2014, he held various leadership positions in the 13th Army Corps of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2014, he was the head of Sector "B" during the battles for Donetsk Airport.
As of early 2015, he was the Chief of Staff of the Operational Command "South". From 2015 to 2017, he was the Commander of the Operational Command "East". In the rank of Lieutenant General, in late 2017 and early 2018, he held the position of Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On March 7, 2018, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Muzhenko, introduced Serhiy Naiev as the newly appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
With the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, he was the commander of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. In October 2022, he was included in the list of the 25 most influential Ukrainian military figures by the Ukrainian News Agency.
On February 11, 2024, Serhiy Nayev was dismissed from the position of Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On February 13, 2025, Serhiy Nayev announced that he had arrived at a new place of combat missions. The day before, it became known that he had received a combat order to leave for the position of commander of the Velyka Novosilka tactical group after an interview with the Ukrainian Press Agency in which he spoke about the country's inadequate preparation for the invasion.
As of April 2025, he is the commander of the tactical group "Vugledar" of the Donetsk Military District.
We will remind, in March, the commander of the "Velyka Novosilka" tactical group, Hero of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, reported that a decision was made on one of the front lines to withdraw forces and equipment from disadvantageous positions.