Taras Vysotsky appointed acting Ukrainian agrarian policy and food minister

MOSCOW. May 14 (Interfax) - Taras Vysotsky has been appointed Ukraine's acting agrarian policy and food minister, while Vasily Shkurakov has become acting minister for communities, territories and infrastructure development (restoration minister) in line with a decision adopted by the government on Tuesday, Ukrainian media said, citing the government's representative to the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnichuk.

Vysotsky has been Ukraine's first deputy agrarian policy and food minister since 2021. He was appointed deputy agrarian policy and food minister in 2019.

Shkurakov became first deputy infrastructure minister in 2021 and deputy infrastructure minister in 2020. He served as deputy finance minister in 2018-2020 and held the post of first deputy finance minister for several months in 2020.

The Ukrainian parliament on May 9 dismissed Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Nikolai Solsky, whom law enforcement agencies suspect of involvement in illegal acquisition of state-owned land.

Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Alexander Kubrakov was also dismissed from his post by the Verkhovna Rada on May 9. Prior to that, on May 8, the parliamentary faction of the ruling Servant of the People party supported the need for a power-sharing arrangement for the Restoration Ministry, recognizing that the 2022 decision to merge the Regional Development Ministry with the Infrastructure Ministry was a mistake.