Volodymyr Artyukh

18th Governor of Sumy OblastAssumed office
12 April 2023PresidentVolodymyr ZelenskyyPrime MinisterDenys ShmyhalPreceded byTaras Savchenko (acting) Personal detailsBorn
(1958-05-08) 8 May 1958 (age 66)
Blagoveshchensk, Amur Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet UnionMilitary serviceAllegiance UkraineBranch/serviceUkrainian Ground ForcesRankLieutenant general

Volodymyr Mykolayovych Artyukh (Ukrainian: Володимир Миколайович Артюх; born 8 May 1958) is a Ukrainian military and political leader currently serving as the head of the Sumy Oblast Military Administration.^[1][2] He gained prominence during the Russo-Ukrainian War, particularly due to his leadership in managing the defense and security of Sumy Oblast, which lies on Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia.^{[citation needed]}

Artyukh was born on May 8, 1958, in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Oblast which was under the Russian SFSR at that time, later in his life he graduated from the Kharkov Higher Military Aviation Command School of Communications in 1979, the Gagarin Air Force Academy in 1988 and National Defence University of Ukraine in 2005.^[3]

In 2009, Artiukh worked as the head of the Podilsk branch of the state enterprise "Ukrainian State Radio Frequency Center", adviser to the head of the Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.^[3]

In 2020, Artiukh ran for the Vinnytsia City Council from the "Ukrainian Party of Honor, Fight against Corruption and Organized Crime", but did not win the election.^[3]

In July and August 2024, Artyukh ordered the evacuation of Ukrainian territories bordering Russia's Kursk Oblast.^[4] This decision was in response to escalating tensions and military activities, including a significant Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces reportedly captured several settlements.^[5] The move marked one of the largest and most notable incursions by Ukrainian forces into Russian territory since the start of the war.^[6][7]