Sep 03, 2023 at 11:33 PM Update: an hour ago
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will this week ask parliament to fire Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov. Rustem Umerov should be appointed in his place.
“Reznikov has lived through 550 days of war, and I believe it’s time for a new approach at the ministry,” Zelensky said in his daily video message. He says he is confident that parliament will support his proposal.
Reznikov was appointed as defense minister in November 2021, a few months before the invasion. His resignation would mark the biggest overhaul of Ukraine’s defense apparatus since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
During the war, a number of corruption scandals came to light within the Ministry of Defense. In January, for example, Reznikov’s deputy had to resign when it became known that food contracts had been agreed at far too high prices.
The intended replacement Umerov currently heads a government privatization fund. According to Zelensky, he “needs no introduction” in Ukraine.
Umerov is known as someone who takes a strict approach to corruption. He had also been involved in international talks about the war since the invasion and contributed to prisoner exchange deals.
Image: ANP
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UkraineForeign War in Ukraine
2023-09-03 21:33:04
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