Reuters, AP , and AFP reported on the 3rd (local time) that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suddenly dismissed Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikow (57).
In a video speech that day, President Zelensky said, “I have decided to replace the Minister of Defense. Reznikow has been in an all-out war for more than 550 days.”
He added: “I believe the Department of Defense needs a new approach and a different form of interaction with the military and society at large.”
Reuters reported that the replacement of the defense minister laid the foundation for the largest overhaul of Ukraine’s defense system since it began an all-out war following Russia’s invasion in February last year.
President Zelenskyy nominated opposition politician Rustem Umerou (41), head of the National Asset Fund, as the new Minister of Defense. The Secretary of Defense nominee must be approved by Congress before being officially appointed.
Reznikow, who took up the position of Minister of Defense in November 2021, took the lead in attracting billions of dollars worth of military support through안전놀이터 numerous visits to Western countries following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February last year.
Reuters reported that Reznikow, who speaks fluent English, has built strong rapport with allied defense ministers and military officials.
However, as suspicions arose in January this year that the Ministry of National Defense had purchased food at inflated prices, public opinion grew that the Minister should be held responsible, and he came under pressure to resign.
Reznikow’s dismissal comes as Ukraine accelerates its ‘fight against corruption’.
Ukraine declared a war on corruption in order to receive Western support necessary for the war against Russia and achieve its goal of joining the European Union (EU), but as the war dragged on, various cases of corruption occurred in areas such as relief material distribution, conscription, and procurement . It exploded.
As public opinion deteriorated, President Zelensky recently announced that he would push for a law to treat wartime corruption as a crime of treason, and made a strong drive to eradicate corruption, including arresting conglomerate Ihor Kolomoisky on charges of embezzling property abroad.
Representative Umerou, who was appointed as the new Minister of Defense, is a Crimean Tatar and a member of parliament from the opposition Holos (Voice) party.
He was involved in negotiations for the exchange of prisoners of war and political prisoners and the evacuation of civilians from occupied territories, and also participated in a delegation discussing Black Sea grain negotiations with Russia.
Since July of last year, he has been the head of the National Asset Fund, an agency that oversees the privatization of state-owned assets, and he is evaluated as leading an organization that was embroiled in a corruption scandal before he took office, Reuters reported.
President Zelenskyy expressed that “no further explanation is needed” regarding Representative Umerou.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg News, citing a member of parliament, reported that Reznikow, who stepped down as defense minister, could be appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK.