Ukraine’s parliament removes three Cabinet ministers

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted on May 19 to
remove three Cabinet ministers. The dismissed were Health Minister Maksym
Stepanov, Economy, Trade and Agriculture Minister Ihor Petrashko, and
Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Krykliy.

The legislature also received proposals from President
Zelensky’s Servant of the People faction to replace them with Viktor Lyashko as
Health Minister, Oleksyi Lyubchenko as economy minister, and Oleksandr Kubrakov
as infrastructure minister.

James Hydzik: Stepanov,
who became minister as the COVID-19 crisis began, has been roundly criticized
for the slow roll-out of Ukraine’s vaccination program. Moreover, clouds hang
over his head regarding procurement irregularities at the beginning of the
vaccination campaign. His replacement as the third wave of COVID has passed, is
the most pertinent to the every-day lives of Ukrainians.

Viktor Lyashko, who until now has been Chief
Sanitation Officer of Ukraine, has been involved in the government’s COVID
response, so this crucial position goes to someone with experience in the matter
at hand. Whether he will be able to overcome Ukrainian’s skepticism regarding
vaccines, particularly those made in India and China, and improve upon
Stepanov’s performance, remains unclear. Furthermore, since a fourth pandemic
wave seems to be in the cards now, will Lyashko act more decisively than
Stepanov regarding aspects of future lockdowns such as stricter restrictions
inter-city and inter-region travel, which critics say were lacking during the
March-April quarantine.