Home › Politics › Avakov resigns as Ukraine's interior minister
Avakov resigns as Ukraine's interior minister
Summary
A look back at the departure of a minister who had held the post since 2014, and at regional developments in the days before.
What did it mean when Ukraine's interior minister stepped down after seven years in the job? On 13 July 2021, Arsen Avakov resigned as Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, a post he had held since 2014.
Regional backdrop
In the days before, neighbouring states were dealing with other pressures. On 9 July 2021, Lithuania began building a fence worth $48 million along its border with Belarus. A week earlier, Lithuania had declared a state of emergency over a rise in undocumented migrants, mostly Syrians, crossing from Belarus. Vilnius accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of deliberately trying to destabilise the country by encouraging and allowing the crossings.
On 10 July 2021, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced that the United States had donated 500,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to Moldova. Moldovan President Maia Sandu praised the United States for the deployment.
Avakov's resignation was the development specific to Ukraine on 13 July 2021.
