What the week to 21 March 2018 showed about Kyiv's institutions
A look back at personnel changes, military reorganisation and outside pressure around 21 March 2018, as Ukraine and its neighbours reshaped their institutions.
What did the days leading up to 21 March 2018 reveal about how Ukraine was reorganising its institutions? Taken together, the reports from that week point to changes at the top of both the central bank and the armed forces, alongside a measure aimed at military families.
A new central bank chief
On 15 March 2018, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Valeriia Hontareva as head of the National Bank of Ukraine and appointed Yakiv Smolii in her place. The decision put a new figure in charge of the country's central bank within a single parliamentary vote.
A restructured military command
On 16 March 2018, President Petro Poroshenko appointed Serhii Naiev as commander of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces, a body created to replace the Anti-Terrorist Operation Headquarters. The change replaced an existing command structure with a new one and named its head on the same day.
The day before, on 15 March 2018, the president signed amendments to the law on the social and legal protection of servicemen and their families. They concerned what the text described as removing social injustice in giving military personnel the right to cash compensation for renting housing. The measure addressed a practical concern of those serving.
Pressure from outside
Beyond Ukraine, the international setting was also shifting. On 15 March 2018, the Trump administration imposed financial sanctions on 19 Russian nationals, including 12 of those indicted in the Special Counsel investigation. The action was taken under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which had been signed into law on 2 August 2017 and imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia.
In Europe, on 21 March 2018, Poland's Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz accused the European Union of double standards and of suffering a deficit of democracy. Poland and the European Commission were at that point in disputes over migrant quotas and a proposed reform of Poland's judiciary.
What the week suggests
The reports describe distinct developments rather than a single policy. Still, the pattern is clear: in the space of a few days, Ukraine changed the leadership of its central bank, set up a new joint command for its armed forces and adjusted the rules on housing compensation for servicemen. Each decision was concrete and attributable to a named institution, the Rada or the president.
