Defense Minister reduced rank of MP Konovaliuk

Defense Minister of Ukraine Yuri Yekhanurov, with his resolution, deprived MP Valeriy Konovaliuk (the Party of Regions faction) of the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The respective decree of the Defense Ministry dated December 4, 2008, was forwarded to UNIAN.

In particular, the Minister cancelled previous resolutions on giving V.Konovaliuk the ranks of captain, major, and lieutenant colonel of reserve.

According to the resolution, the decision was made because the previous ranks were conferred on V.Konovaliuk in violation of the law of Ukraine “On General Military Duty and Military Service”.

At present, MP Konovaliuk is a senior lieutenant. He received this rank in the Russian Federation in early 90ies.

As UNIAN reported earlier, head of the Verkhovna Rada ad commission for investigation into Ukrainian arms supplies to Georgia, Valeriy Konovaliuk, had claimed that the commission discovered facts of illegal Ukrainian arms supplies to Georgia. In his turn, top Deputy Prime Minister Oleksander Turchynov, The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, and Defense Minister Yuri Yekhanurov, had many times dismissed his allegations.