Ukraine’s Zelenskiy seeks to replace wartime defense minister

KIEV, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had decided to replace his defense minister, setting the stage for the biggest shakeup of Ukraine’s defense system since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. in February 2022.

In his late-night video address to the nation, Zelenskiy said he would fire Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of the country’s main privatization fund.

Reznikov, defense minister since November 2021, has helped secure billions of dollars in Western military aid to aid the war effort, but has been dogged by corruption allegations surrounding his ministry that he has called libel.

The decision comes amid a Campaign in corruption in Ukraine that Zelenskiy wanted to highlight. kyiv has applied to join the European Union and the public has become highly sensitive to corruption as the war continues with no end in sight.

“I have decided to replace the Defense Minister of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of full-scale war,” Zelenskiy said.

“I think the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction both with the military and with society as a whole.”

Zelenskiy said he hoped parliament would approve Umerov’s appointment, adding that Umerov “does not need any further presentation.” Zelenskiy must submit Umerov’s candidacy to parliament for its review.

Umerov, a 41-year-old former Crimean Tatar lawmaker, has headed the Ukrainian State Property Fund since September 2022 and played a role in sensitive wartime negotiations over, for example, the Black Sea Grain Agreement.

He has been praised in Ukraine for his record at the State Property Fund, which oversees the privatization of state assets and was embroiled in corruption scandals before taking office.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WEST

During the war, Reznikov’s Defense Ministry pressured the West to break various taboos on supplying Ukraine with powerful military equipment, including everything from German-made main battle tanks to HIMARS multiple-launch rockets. kyiv now seems poised to receive US-made products. F-16 fighter jets soon.

Western military aid has played a crucial role in the war, as Ukraine first pushed back Russian troops around the capital Kiev before launching counteroffensives in the northeast and south.

His troops are now fighting through heavily mined areas and Russian defensive lines to try to retake territory in the southeast and east.

Reznikov, who speaks English, is considered to have established a strong relationship with allied defense ministers and military officials.

A member of parliament has pointed to him as a possible new ambassador of Ukraine in London.

His apparent departure appears to end months of national media pressure that began in January, when Reznikov’s ministry was accused of buying food at inflated prices.

Although he was not personally involved in the food contract, some Ukrainian commentators said that he should take political responsibility for what happened.

Last month, a Ukrainian media outlet accused its ministry of corruption over the procurement of winter coats for the army. Reznikov denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly said that he was the target of a smear campaign.

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