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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the dismissal of Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov from his post.
Reznikov had assumed command of the ministry before the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in February 2021.
But President Zelensky said in his evening address that it was time to use “new methods” in the Ministry of Defense.
Zelensky nominated Rustam Omirov, who currently runs the State Property Fund of Ukraine, to succeed Reznikov.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Reznikov confirmed that he had submitted his letter of resignation to the country’s parliament.
“I think the ministry needs new methods and other forms of interaction with the army and society as a whole,” the Ukrainian president said in his speech from the capital, Kiev.
According to reports in Ukrainian media, Reznikov will become Kiev’s new ambassador to London, because he has developed good relations with senior politicians.
Reznikov, 57, became a well-known figure after the start of the war in Ukraine. He has gained international recognition, regularly attends meetings with Ukraine’s western allies and has played a key role in lobbying for additional military equipment.
But his dismissal had been expected for some time.
Last week, Reznikov told reporters he was exploring other locations with the Ukrainian president.
The former defense minister said, according to local media, that if Zelensky offered him the chance to work on another project he would likely accept.
Ukraine’s defense adviser, Yury Sak, told the BBC that Reznikov had led the transformation of the ministry, laying the groundwork for Ukraine’s future membership in NATO.
“His legacy is that he convinced defense ministers around the world that the impossible is possible,” he added, referring to Reznikov’s success in lobbying foreign governments for weapons.
But experts note that the reshuffle is unlikely to lead to any major change in war strategy on the battlefield in Ukraine, as the campaign is being overseen by General Valery Zaluzhny – the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces.
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anti-Corruption
Reznikov’s dismissal comes amid a broader anti-corruption campaign in Zelensky’s government, with the removal of corruption in the state, which is essential to Ukraine’s desire to join Western institutions such as the European Union.
According to the Corruption Index issued by Transparency International, Ukraine ranks 116th out of 180 countries, but the efforts made in recent years have seen a significant improvement in its position.
Although Reznikov is not personally accused of corruption, there have been a number of scandals in the Ministry of Defense related to the purchase of goods and equipment for the army at inflated prices.
In the wake of the scandal, earlier this year Reznikov’s deputy, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, resigned. It was widely reported at the time that Reznikov had barely kept his post.
He said at the time that the pressure he was subjected to was “difficult to measure,” adding that his “conscience is completely clear.”
The Defense Ministry has also been rocked by several recent arrests at regional draft offices, with officers accused of taking bribes to allow some men to avoid military conscription in Ukraine.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Friday with Ukraine’s top anti-corruption officials, urging them to continue pursuing anti-corruption cases “no matter where they lead.”
Who is the new defense minister?
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photo comment,
Rustam Omirov, the new Ukrainian Defense Minister.
Reznikov’s replacement will be Umirov, who represented Ukraine at peace talks at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The former deputy was said to have suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning during peace negotiations in March 2022 alongside Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich – who was also part of the negotiating party.
But he later denied those reports in a statement posted on Facebook, urging people not to trust “information that has not been verified”.
Speaking to the BBC at the time, he said finding solutions required courage, but he was determined to “find a political and diplomatic solution to this brutal invasion”.
His ancestry from the Crimean Tatars enabled him to become a key member of Zelensky’s international outreach efforts, with a focus on strengthening relations in the Islamic world.
Counterattack developments
Reznikov’s dismissal comes as Ukraine launches a slow and bloody counteroffensive after receiving more advanced weaponry from its Western allies.
Progress on the front line has been slow, but senior Ukrainian generals said Sunday that their forces had breached a key line of Russian defense in the south of the country.
Meanwhile, Russia reported several attempts to launch drone attacks on its soil overnight.
The Defense Ministry said it shot down two drones over the Kursk region bordering Ukraine early on Monday.
The governor of the region, Roman Stravoit, also reported on Sunday that the wreckage of a destroyed drone caused a fire in a non-residential building in the city of Kurchatov.
Elsewhere, Russia launched a three-and-a-half-hour night attack in Ukraine’s southern Odessa region, and the region’s governor reported shooting down 17 drones.
“Unfortunately, there have been strikes as well,” added Oleh Kiber, who said that “several settlements” were damaged in the Ismail area. But he said there were no injuries.
And the Izmail region is one of Ukraine’s main grain export ports on the Danube in the Odessa region.
Danube ports became Ukraine’s main export route after the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal in July. Moscow launched repeated attacks on the Danube River after its withdrawal from the agreement.
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2023-09-04 09:59:58
