Poltorak Stepan

Stepan POLTORAK is the General of the Army and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, appointed in October 2014. On April 15th, 2014, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed Mr. Poltorak as the Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine. Prior, he was appointed as the Commander of Internal Forces of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine by the Presidential Decree of Ukraine No. 171/2014 on February 20th, 2014. He joined the army in August 1983 and served in numerous leadership positions including an officer of a platoon, a chief of staff of a battalion, a commanding officer of a battalion, and a chief of staff of a division. He was the Chief of Directorate for Combat and Special Training of Internal Forces of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine in March 2002 when he was appointed as the Chief of Academy of Internal Forces of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine. Mr. Poltorak is an honorable Citizen of Kharkiv City. He graduated from S.M. Kirova Higher Military Command School in 1987 and from Military Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 1997. He was born on February 11, 1965, in Vesela Dolyna village, Tarutynsk region, Odesa Oblast.