The military ranks of Ukraine were created in March 1992 after

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

adopted the law "About Universal Military Duty and Military Service". The rank structure of the

Ukrainian Armed Forces , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly know ...

originally corresponded to the generic military rank structure of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Since then the rank system has been overhauled and, as of 2022, follows a NATO standardization. Ukrainian Armed Forces have two styles of ranks – army, which is used by

ground forces An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

as well as aerial forces, and naval – the

Ukrainian Navy The Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Військо́во-морські́ си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни, ВМС ЗСУ) is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Ar ...

. Ukraine has eliminated the descriptor "of aviation" following the air force ranks and in 2016 the descriptor "guards" following the rank of a serviceman of a

guards unit Guards units (russian: Гвардия, translit=Gvardiya) were elite units and formations in the Soviet Armed Forces that continue to exist in the Russian Armed Forces and other post-Soviet states. These units were awarded Guards status after di ...

, formation or ship was officially abolished. The rank of a serviceman of the legal, medical or veterinary professions shall be followed by the words “of Justice,” “of the medical service,” or “of the veterinary service,” to their respective ranks. The rank of a citizen having reserve or retired status shall be followed by the words “reserve” or “retired,” respectively.

Rank insignia currently in force

Introduction of STANAG 2116 ranks

On 17 October 2019, the

parliament of Ukraine The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

approved a change to the rank structure of enlisted in order to conform to the NATO STANAG 2116 standardization. The change was implemented with the 2020 military reform. This resulted in the abolition of the rank of General of the Army of Ukraine by Law nr. 680-IX, on 1 October 2020.

Ground Forces, Territorial Defense, Special Operations and Air Assault Forces

Officers Other Ranks and NCOs

Air Force

Officers Other Ranks and NCOs

Navy

Fleet forces

Officers Naval ratings

Marine Corps, Naval Aviation and Shore Establishment

Officers Other ranks

Former rank systems

System 1991

The independent Ukraine inherited the ranks of the Soviet Union. But there were some changes. The rank of "" () was changed to the "senior soldier" and the rank of private was changed to the "soldier". Also, marshall ranks and the category of praporshchyks/midshipmen were abolished. ;Officer ranks ;Enlisted ranks

Proposed system 2009

The first graduates of the Training Centre for Sergeants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.brigade general and new types of sergeant. New straps of generals have crossed maces (

bulawa The bulava or buława ( Polish spelling: ''buława''; Ukrainian spelling: ''булава'' 'bula'va'' is a ceremonial mace or baton or sceptre. Poland, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Historically the ''buława'' ...

s), which are kleinods (

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...

) of

Hetman ( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders. Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and Otaman of the Host. These experimental insignia never came into wide use and were abandoned shortly afterwards. Up until 2015 the Armed Forces kept using the Soviet-style insignia and rank system, albeit in the case of the Ground Forces and the Air Force the old insignia stayed with the officer corps while 2009 proposal for NCO insignia saw wider adoption and thus replaced the Soviet insignia.

Sergeant major (the post of chief sergeant)

Chief sergeant of a branch of the armed forces is a projected post in Ukraine. The chief sergeant is a person who knows almost all issues what relate to non-commissioned officers. Therefore, the chief sergeant of a branch of the armed forces may be adviser to the head of the appropriate level - for example, the commander of land forces of Ukraine. Now, the Ministry of Defence is working to change the statute and, possibly, the new post was projected to be introduced in three or four years from 2009. In

airmobile Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind ...

units there are also posts of

chief sergeant Chief sergeant is a rank used in uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. NATO code While the rank of chief sergeant is used in a number of NATO countries, it is ranked differently depending on the country. Insignia of ...

of the division and chief sergeant of the brigade. Ukraemms1.jpg, Sleeve patch for chief sergeant of the 1st Airmobile Division Ukraemms251.jpg, Sleeve patch for chief sergeant of the 25th Airborne Brigade (ver. 1) Ukraemms252.jpg, Sleeve patch for chief sergeant of the 25th Airborne Brigade (ver. 2) Ukraemms95.jpg, Sleeve patch for chief sergeant of the Airmobile Forces

System 2009

System 2016

Late July 2015 the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...

stated that Ukraine needed to introduce new military ranks that meet Ukrainian military traditions "and corresponds to the structure of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

military ranks Military ranks are a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibi ...

". Still, the system initially proposed just replicated the Soviet hierarchy of military ranks and had no relation to the NATO system whatsoever - the only innovation being of a purely decorative character, namely, the appearance and composition of the shoulder strap insignia. The reform of 2016 which finally emerged will, at long last, bring the rank insignia of the Ukrainian armed forces in line with the rank systems of its NATO partners and the rest of the world, while also, if successful, honor the traditions of Cossacks in Ukraine and the Ukrainian independence armies, the

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army ( uk, Армія Української Народної Республіки), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or as a derogatory term of Russian and Soviet historiography Petliurovtsy ( uk, Пет� ...

of the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

and the

Ukrainian War of Independence The Ukrainian War of Independence was a series of conflicts involving many adversaries that lasted from 1917 to 1921 and resulted in the establishment and development of a Ukrainian republic, most of which was later absorbed into the Soviet U ...

and the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

-era

Ukrainian Insurgent Army The Ukrainian Insurgent Army ( uk, Українська повстанська армія, УПА, translit=Ukrayins'ka povstans'ka armiia, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary and later partisan formation. During World ...

, adapting their rank insignias to suit a modern Ukrainian Armed Forces in the 21st century. While option 1 uses the old system but with new other ranks insignia, option 2 uses a US-style insignia for enlisted ranks and NCOs plus the

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

rank. In both cases, all officers use pips while the General of the Army of Ukraine has the crossed

Bulawa The bulava or buława ( Polish spelling: ''buława''; Ukrainian spelling: ''булава'' 'bula'va'' is a ceremonial mace or baton or sceptre. Poland, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Historically the ''buława'' ...

as insignia. Early proposals had the General of the Army shoulder insignia to use the state coat of arms. In 2016, new rank insignia designs were issued for the Navy, which included both shoulder and sleeve insignia for all ranks.

Uniforms A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...

using the revised system debuted on August 24, 2016, as Ukraine marked the silver jubilee of nationhood,Fashion statement: Ukrainian troops debut post-Soviet uniforms

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

(25 August 2016) while matching those of its future NATO partner countries should it officially join the organization it pays tribute to the many Ukrainians who made countless sacrifices for the country through the centuries. In a break with the Soviet era past, the ''stars'' used for officers' ranking were replaced with British military style ''diamonds'' - inspired by those used by the Ground Forces during the

Ukrainian State The Ukrainian State ( uk, Українська Держава, translit=Ukrainska Derzhava), sometimes also called the Second Hetmanate ( uk, Другий Гетьманат, translit=Druhyi Hetmanat, link=no), was an anti-Bolshevik government ...

of 1918. By 2017, the insignia of the Navy will begin to be utilized, the final design being a unified set shoulder and sleeve rank insignia similar to many NATO and European Union naval forces with distinctions: *Western styled sleeve insignia used for officers of the naval branch *Dark boards with Army-styled insignia for officers of the marine division, naval aviation and shore establishment commands On May 30, 2019, the Verkhovna Rada adopted as a Basis the Bill No. 10181 on the introduction of sergeant ranks in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in accordance with the column "NATO Code" in accordance with STANAG 2116. The bill aims to improve Ukraine's legislation on military service with the aim of streamlining the disciplinary powers of officials, settlement of some issues of daily activity, determination of the rights and duties of the sergeant (officers) and some other officials of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is proposed to introduce a new scale of military ranks. In addition, separation of the sergeant and senior officers into junior and senior ranks (and general/flag officers for the officer corps) is foreseen, as well as the introduction of a sergeant major rank to the armed forces. It is also envisaged to change the limitation age for military service for sergeants, which eliminates the problem when a sergeant under the law can not reach retirement due to a conflict between the current legislation.

Historical ranks

1918–1921

;Officer ranks ;Other ranks

1940–1949