Stepan Tymofiyovych Poltorak ( uk, Степан Тимофійович Полторак) is a Ukrainian general who served as the

Minister of Defence of Ukraine The Minister of Defence ( uk, Міністр оборони, translit=Ministr oborony) is the defence minister of Ukraine and head of the Ministry of Defence, which is in charge of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the second-largest military power in ...

from 14 October 2014 until 29 August 2019. Previously he was the commander of the Internal Troops of Ukraine and National Guard of Ukraine.Turchynov proposes parliament appoint Poltorak as National Guard commander

Interfax-Ukraine The Interfax-Ukraine ( uk, Інтерфакс-Україна) is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian independent news agency founded in 1992. The company does not belong to the Russian news corporation Interfax Information Services. The company pub ...

(19 March 2014) Poltorak's rank was General of the army of Ukraine. From 1 January 2019, Poltorak remained the country's defense minister as a civilian, after resigning from military service in October 2018.Poltorak quits military service, continues to lead Defense ministry as civilian – Poroshenko

UNIAN The UNIAN or Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News ( uk, Українське Незалежне Інформаційне Агентство Новин, УНІАН, translit=Ukrayins'ke Nezalezhne Informatsiyne Ahentstvo Novyn) is a ...

(13 October 2018)Poltorak quits military service to continue leading Ukrainian Defense Ministry as civilian

(13 October 2018) Poltorak resigned at the request of newly inaugurated president

Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...

on 20 May 2019.

Biography

Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2017 40

Poltorak was born on 11 February 1965 in the village Vesela Dolyna (located in the Bolhrad Raion, Odesa Oblast). He has served in the military since August 1983. Poltorak is a graduate from Ordzhonikidzevsky highest military command college of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR. Poltorak has a

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

. In 2003 he successfully defended his thesis on "Pedagogical conditions of the skills of the commander unit in the future officers of the

Interior Ministry of Ukraine The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство внутрішніх справ України, Ministerstvo vnutrishnikh sprav Ukrainy, MVS) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the interior af ...

." In March 2002 Poltorak was appointed head of the Academy of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

Oleksandr Turchynov Oleksandr Valentynovych Turchynov ( uk, Олександр Валентинович Турчинов; born 31 March 1964) is a Ukrainian politician, screenwriter, Baptist minister and economist. He is the former Secretary of the National Sec ...

appointed Poltorak commander of the Internal Troops of Ukraine.Turchynov appointed a new commander of the Internal Troops
, Espreso TV (28 February 2014) When the National Guard of Ukraine was reestablished on 13 March 2014, Poltorak became its first commander on 15 April 2014. On 14 October 2014, Ukraine's

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

approved Poltorak's appointment as Ukraine's Minister of Defence. , replacing

Valeriy Heletey Valeriy Viktorovych Heletey ( uk, Валерій Вікторович Гелетей) (born on 28 August 1967) is a Ukrainian Colonel General who served as Minister of Defense from 3 July to 14 October 2014.Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...

accepted his resignation. President Poroshenko accepted Poltorak's resignation from military service on 13 October 2018. Poltorak stayed on as Minister of Defence. Poltorak resigned at the request of newly inaugurated president

on 20 May 2019. His official tenure as Defence Minister ended on 29 August 2019 when

Andriy Zahorodniuk Andrii Pavlovych Zahorodniuk ( ua, Андрій Павлович Загороднюк; born 5 December 1976) is a Ukrainian entrepreneur and politician.From 2015 to 2017, Zahorodniuk headed the Reform Project Office at the Ministry of Defense o ...

was appointed his successor.

Family and personal life

Poltorak is married to Inna (who is two years younger than him) and has an adult son called Ihor.Poltorak's wife is the captain of the militia
Vesti (15 October 2014) His wife is a captain at Poltorak former posting, the Academy of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in Kharkiv.

Awards and decorations

References

External links

on the official website of

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.1965 births People from Odesa Oblast Living people Generals of the Army (Ukraine) Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine alumni Defence ministers of Ukraine Heads of universities and colleges in Ukraine Recipients of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class People of the National Guard of Ukraine Ukrainian military personnel of the war in Donbas Recipients of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 2nd class