Ukraine parliament approves new defense minister

Ukraine’s parliament approved on Oct. 14 the president’s nomination of Stepan Poltorak as the new defense minister. Polotorak was most recently the commander of the National Guard of Ukraine. He spent the bulk of his career as the director of the Internal Army Academy in Kharkiv. Before then, he served in the Ukrainian military. “The fundamentals for me were your professional and patriotic position, integrity, decisive steps in building practically from nil the National Guard system, discipline in the armies and fierce fighting spirit,” Poroshenko told Poltorak, as reported by his press service. “I spoke with generals, met with simple fighters and soldiers. My conversations with them convinced me of the correctness of my choice.”

Zenon Zawada: Poltorak is the fifth defense minister this year, revealing just how troubled Ukraine’s military leadership is. Poltorak is not particularly popular among the public, having led the Internal Army Academy when Internal Army soldiers were being dispatched to suppress the EuroMaidan, both in Kyiv and Kharkiv, the academy’s location. He spent the bulk of his career as director of the academy, which means he’s more experienced in policing than the military sphere.

It’s particularly worth noting that Poltorak’s nomination got 245 votes just a day after being nominated, which further confirms the president enjoys a solid majority in parliament capable of approving most of his initiatives (except those that are more controversial). We expect that majority to be further strengthened after the elections.