KIEV, December 24 (RIA Novosti) - In a major cabinet reshuffle on Monday Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych dismissed a number of key ministers and government agency chiefs.
Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko, Defense Minister Dmytro Salamatin, Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko and Natural Resources Minister Eduard Stavitskiy all lost their jobs.
The president also dismissed Tax Service head Oleksandr Klymenko, Health Minister Raisa Bohatyryova, Culture Minister Mikhailo Kuliyank and State Property Management Agency chief Dmytro Kolesnikov.
Yanukovych appointed Leonid Kozhara as the country’s new foreign minister and Pavlo Lebedev as defense minister.
Vitaliy Zakharchenko has kept his job as interior minister and Finance Minister Yuriy Kolobov will also stay on.
