293 Ukrainian MPs (at least 226 needed) voted for the resignation of Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey. 245 voted for the appointment of Stepan Poltorak as the new minister. His goal is to strengthen the armed forces and improve logistics, according to President Petro Poroshenko.
Sergey Slobodchuk, the director of the Slobodchuk and Partners: Politics, PR, Elections company, said that Poltorak was a police officer. He clarified that Ukraine had about 30,000 soldiers serving the ministry under the minister's control. Interior Troops were renamed the National Guard, Poltorak became the head of the Guard.
Slobodchuk explained the reasons for his appointment: Poltorak had a good service record, he had no conflicts, served exceptionally loyally, he will not side with Yulia Tymoshenko or the oligarchs. The expert said that the oligarchs will seek business and territories under the slogans of decentralization, they wanted the authority to form the police, military, courts and so on. Poltorak in this context would serve the president and obey any orders.
Ukraine, according to the analyst, is more focused on fighting internal enemies, so there are no expectations of air, artillery or tank attacks. He added that information in mass media was not absolutely correct. Slobodchuk reminded that Poltorak had been reported taking over Sloviansk in April-May, although the city was not under Poltorak's control.
