President Petro Poroshenko is launching a house cleaning of army generals

Photo: Ukrinform

The president again wagered on a representative of the law enforcement system in his selection of the new minister of defense. According to information that Capital has, the current Commander of the National Guard Stepan Poltorak faces the task of renewing the leadership staff of the army and improving its provisions.

New conditions

Today, the Verkhovna Rada must consider the appointment of the new minister of defense, who will replace Valeriy Heletei after the president accepted his resignation on Sunday. The head of state convened representatives of parliamentary factions yesterday in the evening to present Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak as his nomination or the position of the Minister of Defense.

In his meeting with Poltorak, the president said he chose him for his highly respected authority in the military. “I spoke with generals and met with rank-and-file soldiers. My conversations with them convinced me that my decision was right,” the press service of the president cited.

Poroshenko said today the army is functioning under new conditions due to the implementation of the peace plan for settlement of the situation in the Donbas region. Given this, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will build a tiered system of defense, the system of provisions and logistics and enhance military-technical cooperation with the EU and the U.S.

The demands for the dismissal of Heletei were submitted to the president at the end of August during the tactical encirclement of Ukrainian military forces near Ilovaisk in the Donetsk oblast. Then Poroshenko noted that there is no viable candidate to replace the current minister of defense. “Heletei obviously exaggerated his abilities, knowledge and capacity,” former minister of defense Oleksandr Kuzmuk told Capital.

A source in the Presidential Administration told Capital that the decision to replace the minister of defense was made back in September. “Right from the start it was clear that Heletei and Chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko were responsible for Ilovaisk. But in September they decided to wait until evidence was produced, because of the parliamentary elections. Plus a replacement had to be found, who would be supported by a minimum of 226 MPs. And they did,” said the source, specifying that soon the investigation by the military prosecutor’s office into the events that transpired in Ilovaisk will be finished. He added that Heletei would retain a position in the bodies of power.

Muzhenko faces dismissal

A source in the Ministry of Defense said on condition of anonymity that Poltorak is expected to conduct a house-cleaning in the General Staff, administration and departments of the ministry of defense. The source said Heletei was unable to bring the General Staff in order as two opposition groups of officers formed after his appointment. “Today, Poroshenko needs a predictable and obedient military leadership. Heletei could not win over generals and also got involved in the planning of the military operations, which he should not have done,” according to the source.

He noted that the ministry can be given a pat on the back only for its centralized work with volunteer organizations supporting the military forces in the Donbas region. Noteworthy is that the head of state announced staff shuffling in the Armed Forces in early September after the wave of criticism regarding the actions of law enforcement bodies.

After that, First Deputy of the Minister of Defense Bohdan Butsa and two managers of the Material Technical Department and Tenders Department were fired. Last week Head of the Paratroopers Division of the Ukrainian Army Serhiy Kryvonos was appointed head of the Special Operation Department of the General Staff.

A source of the publication in the Presidential Administration to Capital that Muzhenko will soon tender his resignation. “The task of Poltorak is to do a house-cleaning of generals. Only after that can reform be considered, though perhaps another individual must conduct them,” the interlocutor said.

Former Deputy Minister of Defense Leonid Polyakov supports this version. He foretold Capital that Poltorak will arrange a cleansing of the leadership in the leadership and procurement of the army in the winter months. “He should be the representative of the president and do what Heletei failed to do – namely, cleanse the ministry of the so-called “fifth column”. After that, the National Security and Defense Council can deal with the building up of a new army,” said Polyakov.

Adviser to the president and volunteer Yuriy Biryukov told Capital that the wager on representatives of “the police system” in the army is intended to ensure the fight against corruption. He said at the moment the minister of defense is forced to deal with the issues of organization and procurement of the army.

As a reminder, Poltorak graduated from the Higher Command School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and then the Military Academy of Armed Forces. Since 2002 he headed the MIA Academy in Kharkiv and after the Euro-Maidan was appointed Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which was later transformed into the National Guard of Ukraine.

Interestingly enough, the Verkhovna Rada confirmed him as commander of the National Guard from the third attempt. “The candidacy of the new minister will be supported by the deputies,” said member of Batkivshchyna and Chairman of the Ad-hoc Investigative Committee Andriy Senchenko on the events in Ilovaisk.