In the biggest change since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decided to replace his defence minister, reported Reuters. Zelenskyy addressed the nation on Sunday night and said he would dismiss Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of the country's main privatisation fund, as per Reuters.
The move comes at a time when Ukraine is witnessing a crackdown on corruption that Zelenskyy has been eager to emphasise. With Kyiv's application to join the European Union in line, the report suggests that the public has become highly sensitive to corruption.
"I've decided to replace the Minister of Defence of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has been through more than 550 days of full-scale war," Zelenskyy said. "I believe the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole," he added.
Mentioning that Umerov "does not need any additional introduction", Zelenskyy said he expected parliament to approve Umerov's appointment. The Ukrainian president has to submit Umerov's candidacy to parliament for review, Reuters added in the report.
Who Is Rustem Umerov?
Set to be Ukraine's new defence minister, Rustem Umerov is a 41-year-old ex-lawmaker and Crimean Tatar. As per Reuters, he has led Ukraine's State Property Fund since September 2022 and played a role in sensitive wartime negotiations, like the Black Sea grain deal.
Umerov has been praised in Ukraine for his track record at the State Property Fund. Notably, this fund oversees the privatisation of state assets and had been involved in corruption scandals before he took charge.
According to The Guardian, Umerov was elected to Parliament in 2019 and there he served as co-chair of the Crimea Platform, an international diplomatic effort with an aim to reverse Russia's 2014 annexation of the peninsula.
He has also worked for years as an adviser to the historic leader of the Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Dzhemilev, The Guardian added.
Reznikov And Rapport With The West
As Ukraine's defence minister since November 2021, Reznikov has helped secure billions of dollars of Western military aid to help the country's war effort. However, according to Reuters, he has been surrounded by graft allegations involving his ministry that he has described as smears.
During the 18 months of the war, Reznikov's defence ministry lobbied the West to overcome the hindrance of taboos on supplying weapons to Ukraine. This includes German-made main battle tanks and HIMARS rocket artillery.
An English-speaker, Reznikov is believed to have built up a strong rapport with allied defence ministers and military officials, the report added. It added that one member of parliament has tipped him as the country's possible new ambassador to London.
His exit is apparently an end to months of domestic media pressure that began in January when Reznikov's ministry was accused of buying food at inflated prices, Reuters added. Last month, a Ukrainian media outlet accused his ministry of corruption in the procurement of winter coats for the army.
However, Reznikov always denied these allegations saying he was being targeted by a smear campaign.
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