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Kyiv's military command reshaped as central bank changes hands
Summary
A look back at the political and security decisions in Ukraine on 16 March 2018 and the two days before it.
What did Kyiv's leadership change in the space of two days? On 16 March 2018, President Petro Poroshenko appointed Serhiy Nayev as commander of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a body created to replace the Anti-Terrorist Operation Staff.
The appointment was the main event of the day. It put a named commander at the head of the new structure that took over from the ATO Staff.
Changes the day before
On 15 March 2018, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Valeriya Hontareva as head of the National Bank of Ukraine and appointed Yakov Smoliy in her place. The vote changed the leadership of the central bank.
On the same date, Poroshenko signed amendments to the law on the social and legal protection of servicemen and their family members. The changes concerned what was described as social injustice in the right of military personnel to receive cash compensation for renting housing.
Sanctions from Washington
Also on 15 March 2018, the Trump administration imposed financial sanctions on 19 Russian nationals under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The group included 12 of those indicted in the Special Counsel investigation.
The act is a US federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia by preventing US companies from doing business with sanctioned entities. The Senate passed it on 27 July 2017 by 98 votes to 2, after the House had approved it by 419 to 3. President Donald Trump signed it into law on 2 August 2017, though he believed the legislation was seriously flawed.
The picture across the two days
Taken together, the reports from 15 and 16 March 2018 show Ukraine's leadership making changes to the military command, to the central bank and to the rules on housing compensation for servicemen, while Washington announced a new round of sanctions on Russian nationals.
