Stepan Poltorak, the head of the Ukrainian National Guard, to become the new Defense minister
October 14, 2014
Ukraine’s parliament today approved Stepan Poltorak, the head of the Ukrainian National Guard, to become the new defense minister. Poltorak replaces Valeriy Geletey, who was dismissed by President Petro Poroshenko on Oct. 12.
The new military chief is Ukraine’s fourth since the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych in February. Geletey came under criticism for losses in a pro-Russian separatist offensive in late August. Poroshenko fired the head of the border guard service last week and replaced the governor of the mainly Russian-speaking Donetsk region.