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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Ukraine Appoints New Defense Minister amid Scrutiny on Russian Troop Movements

Ukrainian lawmakers sing the national anthem after a vote, in parliament, in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, April 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday voted to appoint President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's nominee Oleksii Reznikov as the new defense minister.

A 55-year-old former lawyer and deputy prime minister, Reznikov will replace Andrii Taran who resigned this week after his track record on reforms was criticized by lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties.

The appointment comes as Ukraine said Russia had left military units near Ukraine's border after exercises, with the number of Russian troops in the area now totaling 90,000.

The United States said the Russian troop movements were significant but not "overtly aggressive".

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