Ukraine's justice minister has appointed a 23-year-old law graduate to lead a campaign to purge of officials tainted by corruption of the ousted regime.

The so-called lustration was a key demand of anti-government protests in Ukraine which culminated in President Viktor Yanukovych fleeing the country in February 2014.

Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko insisted on Wednesday that Anna Kalynchuk was appointed director of the Lustration Department on merit.

Last week, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov appointed a 24-year old woman as Ukraine's deputy interior minister. He was accused of promoting his protégé, who has posted naked pictures of herself online.

The appointments of young women with little experience follow high-profile resignations of foreign-born reformist politicians earlier this month including Odessa governor Mikhail Saakashvili and police chief Khatiya Dekanoidze.