The Rada voted for the resignation of ministers Kubrakov and Solsky

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted on Thursday for the resignation of Alexander Kubrakov from the post of Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of the Country and Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure. Deputies also approved the dismissal from the post of Minister of Agrarian Policy Nikolai Solskywho is accused of illegally appropriating public land.

The decision to dismiss Kubrakov was supported by 272 deputies. According to deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the deputy prime minister himself was not in the meeting room.

Half an hour before the decision, Alexander Kubrakov wrote on his Facebook page that he had not discussed with the leadership of the Servant of the People faction and the head of government Denis Shmyhal the possibility of his dismissal, reports Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty. Kubrakov also noted that he was not invited to the meeting of the Servant of the People faction and the relevant committee in the Rada.

Edition “RBC-Ukraine” notes that a month ago it wrote about possible personnel changes in the government. Among the potential candidates for dismissal, the publication’s sources named Kubrakov. The interlocutors indicated various reasons for dissatisfaction with his work, including that he allegedly devotes too little time to the topic of regional politics, and parliamentarians do not like his close cooperation with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

On May 8, RBC-Ukraine sources confirmed that the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure wants to be divided into two: the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of Regional Policy.

Nikolai Solsky was released from custody on bail last month, shortly after his arrest. He is suspected of misappropriating government land worth about $7 million.

Solsky himself, who submitted his resignation in connection with the proceedings, claims that the case concerns the events of 2017-2018, when he was neither a minister nor the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy. The politician says that the case “refers to a dispute between state-owned enterprises and individuals, in particular, military personnel from among the participants in the fighting in the Donbass for lands that were given to the latter for possession in accordance with the law.”