Ukrainian Parliament Picks New Defence Minister

Ukraine's parliament has appointed Colonel-General Mikhailo Koval of the Border Guards Service as acting defence minister. He was approved by 251 votes, Espreso TV reports.

Addressing parliament, Koval said, "Dear People’s Deputies, I am acutely aware of the responsibility that the Ukrainian nation is entrusting in me. I am a career military man who knows the military well and loves it dearly. I love my motherland Ukraine."

Koval expressed thanks to the outgoing defence minister, Igor Tenyukh, who he said “worthily carried out the tasks that faced him at a difficult time”.

"I believe in the armed forces of Ukraine and in our motherland Ukraine," the new minister said.

Prior to this appointment, Koval served as deputy head of Ukraine’s State Border Service and led its task force for the situation in Crimea.
On March 5, Koval was abducted near the Yalta Maritime Security Division. A group of some 40 people surrounded him, separate from several companions and forced him into an SUV. He was later released.

This article republished from Espreso TV with kind permission. Original article in Ukrainian.