Yanukovych updates structure of his Administration

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has increased the number of employees of the Administration from 514 to 549, the decree № 23 from January 16 said.

In particular, the offices of presidential advisors heading some departments have been liquidated, and the departments themselves will now report directly to deputy presidential chiefs of staff.

The Administration’s press service has been reorganized into the main department of press service and communications.

Presidential chief of staff Serhiy Liovochkin said that the optimization of the presidential secretariat was aimed at making it better address sociopolitical challenges facing society and the government in Ukraine, he told Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

This optimization is also intended to improve the president's communication with society. Liovochkin assured that the slight increase in the number of employees of the Administration would not call for additional budget appropriations.