Zelenskyy promotes Azov National Guard Corps commander Prokopenko to brigadier general

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promoted Colonel Denys Prokopenko (Redis), commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard 'Azov', to the rank of brigadier general. This is stated in Decree No. 195 of February 25, the Ukrainian News agency reports.

"To assign the military rank of brigadier general to Colonel Denys Prokopenko, commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine 'Azov'," the document says.

34-year-old Prokopenko is the commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine 'Azov', Hero of Ukraine, who took part in the defense of Mariupol In March 2022, Zelenskyy awarded Prokopenko the title of Hero of Ukraine as commander of the unit that defended Mariupol.

In May 2022, Prokopenko was taken prisoner by russia, and in September of the same year, as part of a large exchange, he was released and sent to Turkey, from where he returned to Ukraine in July 2023.

In April 2025, the National Guard of Ukraine created two corps, one of which was headed by the commander of the 12th Special Forces Brigade 'Azov', Prokopenko

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Zelenskyy also promoted colonel Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of the Presidential Office, to brigadier general.