Ukraine Recalls Ambassador to Belarus Over 'Security' Concerns

Ukraine's president has recalled the country's ambassador to Belarus amid a continuing purge of government officials appointed by the overthrown president.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he is recalling Mykhailo Yezhel, the country's ambassador to Belarus.

Yezhel was Ukraine's Minister of Defense between 2010 and 2012, and was appointed as the country's ambassador to Belarus the following year. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's faction in Ukraine's parliament demanded his resignation on Monday.

"[Belarus' capital] Minsk currently plays a very big role in the implementation of our external defense and security policies. Undoubtedly, I must consider this role to ensure Ukraine's consistent presence in Minsk," Poroshenko told Ukrainian television.

Following Ukraine's 2014 coup, the new government initiated court proceedings against officials in the overthrown government. Many officials have been fired from the new government as part of a purge or "lustration" campaign.

The purge campaign accompanied a mysterious string of suicides and unsolved assassinations of journalists, opposition members and former government officials.