Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed decrees to appoint Vitaliy Kovalchuk as his administration's first deputy, and Rostyslav Pavlenko and Andriy Taranov as deputy heads of the president's staff, the president's press service reported on Dec. 26.
All three have previously worked as part of the president’s team, Poroshenko’s chief of staff Borys Lozhkin said.
Kovalchuk will be responsible for regional policy issues. Previously he worked as deputy chairman of the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko faction, and was chief of Poroshenko’s election headquarters, the president’s press service said.
Pavlenko will be responsible for domestic policy issues. Prior to his new post, he was the president’s advisor since July 2014.
Taranov will work with law enforcement agencies. Since September 2014, he worked as first deputy chief of the Counterintelligence Department of the Security Service of Ukraine. After military operations in the east of Ukraine began, Taranov became responsible for training Armed Forces of Ukraine and Interior Ministry of Ukraine units.
