The Ukrainian government plans to reduce its number of officials by 20%, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said.

"The issue is about a 20% slash, which is around 50,000 people," Yatseniuk said live on air taking part in the 'TSN Week' program on the 1+1 TV channel on Sunday.

"The idea is about reducing the number but increasing quality, including through better selection of staff and increasing salaries," he said.

Yatseniuk noted that 25,000 officials were sacked in 2014.