Oleksandr Serhiiovych Pivnenko (; born 1986) is a Ukrainian athlete, serviceman, and the commander of the

National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; , ; /NHU ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and internal military force. It is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for public security. Originally created as an agency under the dire ...

(NGU). He is also a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief since July 25, 2023. He currently holds the rank of Brigadier general, and is also awarded with the title

Hero of Ukraine A Hero of Ukraine (HOU; ) is the highest national decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the president of Ukraine. The decoration was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma. As of 6 June 2025, the total number of re ...

Biography

Oleksandr Pivnenko was born in 1986 to a military family. Pivnenko graduated from the Kryvyi Rih Lyceum with enhanced physical training, the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops, and the National Defense University of Ukraine (operational and tactical level). He served in the Omega Special Forces Detachment of the National Guard of Ukraine in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. As of 2011, he was an officer of the Special Forces and Counterterrorism Unit of the 1st Presidential Operational Brigade.

Russo-Ukrainian War

On 2018, Pivnenko joined the Eastern Territorial Directorate of the NGU, and actively took part in the

War in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...

. During the initial stages of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pivnenko participated in the battle of Kharkiv including the liberation of Kutuzivka, Mala Rohan and

Tsyrkuny Tsyrkuny () is a village in Kharkiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) in Kharkiv Oblast of eastern Ukraine, at about Points of the compass#Compass point names, north-east from the centre of Kharkiv city. It hosts the administration of Tsyrku ...

from Russian occupation. He also participated in fighting around the

Toretsk Toretsk (; ) is an industrial city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It served as the administrative center of Toretsk urban hromada. As of January 2022, its population was approximately It has its origins as the hamlet Shcher ...

direction in

Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (, ), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its capital city, administrative centre is Donetsk, though d ...

. In July 2022, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Operational Brigade. In 2023, he was appointed head of the Eastern Territorial Directorate of the NGU. On July 8, 2023, Pivnenko was appointed Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine by Ukrainian president

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

. On July 10, he was introduced by Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, to the National Guard's command staff. On July 25, he was admitted into the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. On November 29, he was assigned the rank Brigadier general by President Zelenskyy.

Personal life

He is fond of sports.

Awards

* The title of

with the "Order of the Gold Star" (23 March 2023) *

Order for Courage The Order for Courage () is a Ukrainian award established by Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma on August 21, 1996. Design by Ukrainian artist Mykola Lebid. Awards of the President of Ukraine for Courage Before August, 1996, personal bravery ha ...

, 2nd class (30 April 2022) *

, 3rd class (17 June 2016)Decree of the President of Ukraine from 17 June 2016 year № 258/201
«Про відзначення державними нагородами України»

References

{{Authority control 1986 births Living people Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine alumni Recipients of the Order of Gold Star (Ukraine) Recipients of the Order For Courage, 2nd class Recipients of the Order For Courage, 3rd class Ukrainian military personnel of the Russo-Ukrainian War Brigadier generals of Ukraine