KIEV, Dec. 26 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko appointed two close allies as governors in Sumy and Zhytomyr regions on Tuesday further underscoring a rift with the government of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

Pavlo Kachur, a former construction and architecture minister, was appointed the governor of the Sumy region, while Yuriy Pavlenko, a former youth and sports minister, was appointed the governor of the Zhytomyr region.