Minister with a cap

Ukraine discuss the appointment of the new Minister of Defense Valery Geletey

The 46-year-old colonel General Valery Geletey, the former head of the State Security Department of Ukraine, was approved by the Verkhovna Rada on the post of Minister of Defense on the eve of and immediately fell into the courier.

After the oath for allegiance to the people of Ukraine, Geletey, being on the rostrum of parliament, took out a pen from the inner pocket and signed the text of the oath. However, the cameras recorded that the minister did not remove the cap from the handle.

The new Minister of Ukraine Geletey signs the oath of an oath with a pen with an uninhabited cap pic.twitter.com/6p3p3p3psjdwww

- Rustem Adagamov (@adagamov) July 3, 2014

Valeria Geletey is called the representative of the team of the former head of the Ministry of Emergencies, ex-secretary of the NSDC Viktor Bogli. Speaking in the Rada, the new head of the military department promised to restore the territorial integrity of the country and conduct a Victory Parade in the Ukrainian Sevastopol.

Many criticized the appointment of Geletei by the Minister of Defense of the country, noting that he is not a military man and not a politician, but the minister should be a professional.

“Geletey, policeman, from Colonel to Colonel General in a year and a half. Compare with the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu, who leads hostile forces, does not make sense. In Ukraine, more than 50 candidates for the head of the Ministry of Defense, powerful and more professional,” wrote the leader of the Civil Position party, the former head departments Anatoly Gritsenko.

Experts mainly agree that the Minister of Defense must be a civilian who will deal with financial support issues, negotiations with NATO partners and other political and managerial tasks.

The Supreme Commander -in -Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko said that "the power bloc in a military operation requires strengthening, as well as serious comprehensive and systemic reform." Last Thursday, the Ukrainian president appointed the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He became Lieutenant General Viktor Muzhenko. This appointment was called a “successful choice” of both politics and experts and military. On July 3, another personnel decision of Poroshenko became known. He appointed billionaire Yuri Kosyuk, deputy head of the presidential administration for power issues, who, according to Forbs magazine, is one of the ten richest Ukrainians.

“One of the main problems in the ATO in the east of the country is the problem of resources, and this is a more managerial problem. We need to organize the effective provision of the resources of the army, the work of the military -industrial complex. And Kosyuk should do managerial logistics in the resource support of the defense capacity of Ukraine,” said political analyst Vladimir Fesenko .

Speaking on the eve of the Verkhovna Rada deputies, Petro Poroshenko emphasized that “the power block in the conditions of a military operation in the east of the country requires strengthening, serious, comprehensive and systemic reform”. When the president spoke about the stamina of the army and its military, opposing the militants in the Donbass, the deputy from the Party of Regions Elena Bondarenko shouted from the audience: "This army kills our children!" In response to these words, Poroshenko, raising his voice, said:

“And we will not allow you to disgrace, defeat our army ... (violent applause). Because, since the country today requires protection with our armed forces, the National Guard, border guards and the security service, and the army requires your protection today. Do not leave it alone with those who are trying to undermine the faith in our army, tries to discredit it after Russian propaganda.”

Parliamentarians supported the proposal of the head of state to appoint 46-year-old Colonel General Valery Geletey Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Prior to this, Geletey served as the head of the state protection department. On July 3, the president appointed the new head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He became Lieutenant General Viktor Muzhenko. He replaced on this post the wound in the war zone in the east of Mikhail Kutsin on the eve of the day before.

In addition to resolving personnel issues on Thursday, the Verkhovna Rada launched the process of constitutional changes. President Poroshenko presented the deputies with his project of the new version of the Constitution, which, according to the head of state, will help to resolve the crisis in the Donbass. The document refers to a special status for the Russian language, the abolition of the Institute of Governors, the expansion of local self -government rights. Poroshenko called his project the Constitution “antidote of federalization”. As you know, the Kremlin insists on federalization and appropriate changes in the Basic Law of Ukraine, which, according to Kyiv, would like to be able to attach Ukrainian regions to the Russian Federation.

The Verkhovna Rada deputies voted to include the presidential project of the Constitution on the agenda, however, at the same time, the majority factions of the Fatherland and Freedom said that they would register alternative bills. Both parliamentary factions believe that the presidential constitutional proposals are aimed at usurpation of the authorities. Director of the Politics Center Igor Popov believes that the leader of the “Fatherland” Julia Tymoshenko is worth to disrupt the constitutional process:

“Political technologists of Yulia Tymoshenko expect that Poroshenko will make a lot of mistakes now, his rating will fall and his rating can be selected in early elections. It is noteworthy that the“ Fatherland ”continues to remain a party in power, mainly the government. The“ Batkivshchyna ”statement will not support the constitutional changes of Poroshenko, this is not the first crack between Poroshenko and The government and the main disagreement relate to the distribution of powers (between the president, the cabinet of ministers and the Verkhovna Rada).

Popov also explained why the right -handed “freedom” also spoke out against the project of the constitution of Poroshenko along with the “Fatherland”:

““ Freedom ”also has problems in relations with the president. This political force has no guarantees that its representatives will receive at least positions in local administrations in the west of Ukraine. Therefore, from the side of“ freedom ”it is more like blackmail than their desire to go to the opposition to the head of state. But maybe“ Freedom ”has a more long -range calculation. If its deputies believe that the pre -care parliamentary elections will take place. Let me remind you that in the past presidential election, the leader of Freedom Oleg Tyagnibok received less than 1% of the vote, that is, with such a rating, right -wing ranges cannot count on passing into the new Verkhovna Rada.