Stepan Poltorak

Biography of Stepan Poltorak

Date of Birth: 11.02.1965

Place of Birth. Education. Stepan Poltorak was born in the village of Vesola Dolyna in the Tatarbunary raion of Odesa Oblast. He graduated from the Higher Military Command School named after S. M. Kirov of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2003, he defended his candidate's thesis in pedagogy on 'Pedagogical Conditions for Shaping the Skills of a Subunit Commander Among Future Officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine'.

Career. Since August 1983 - in military service. Stepan Poltorak has served in positions as platoon commander, company commander, chief of staff of a battalion, commander of a battalion, regiment, brigade.

Since March 2002 - head of the Academy of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Candidate of pedagogical sciences, associate professor, major general, listed in the Honorary Register of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

On February 26, 2014, acting president of Ukraine, parliament speaker Oleksandr Turchynov dismissed Stanislav Shuliak from the position of head of the Main Directorate - commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. On February 28, 2014, by decree No. 171/2014, Turchynov appointed Stepan Poltorak to this position.

On March 19, 2014, Turchynov proposed to the Verkhovna Rada the appointment of Stepan Poltorak as the commander of the National Guard of Ukraine. However, on April 1, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada did not vote for his candidacy.

On April 15, 2014, a resolution No. 4485 approved his appointment as commander of the National Guard of Ukraine. 235 parliamentarians voted for his candidacy.

On October 14, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada approved the appointment of Stepan Poltorak as Minister of Defense of Ukraine. 245 deputies voted for his candidacy, submitted by the President of Ukraine to the parliament.

On October 27, 2014, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko included Stepan Poltorak in the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine by decree No. 827/2014.

On December 2, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada approved the new composition of the Government, in which Poltorak retained the position of Minister of Defense.

On April 14, 2016, the Verkhovna Rada accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and supported the candidacy of Volodymyr Groysman in his place. On the same day, the parliament approved the new composition of the Government, in which Poltorak again took the position of Minister of Defense.

On October 13, 2018 President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko announced, that he approved the request of Army General Stepan Poltorak to resign from military service, and that he will remain at the head of the Ministry of Defense, - according to the requirements of the law of Ukraine 'On National Security of Ukraine' from January 1, 2019 the position minister of defense of Ukraine must be occupied by a civilian.

On May 20, 2019, Minister of Defense Stepan Poltorak submitted his resignation. On June 6, 2019, the Verkhovna Rada did not support the resignation of Minister of Defense Stepan Poltorak.

Awards. Lieutenant General. Honored Worker of Education of Ukraine (2009). Professor, candidate of pedagogical sciences. Awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky I and III degrees, the medal 'For Combat Merits'. Honorary citizen of Kharkiv.

10.02.2022.