KIEV (September 3) (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had decided to replace his defense minister, paving the way for the biggest shake-up of Ukraine’s defense establishment since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In his evening video address to the nation, Zelensky said he would sack Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustam Omirov, the head of the country’s main privatization fund.
Reznikov, who has been defense minister since November 2021, has helped secure billions of dollars in Western military aid to support the war effort, but has faced allegations of corruption surrounding his ministry that he has described as defamation.
This decision comes amid a crackdown on corruption in Ukraine, which Zelensky was keen to emphasize. Kiev has applied to join the European Union, and the public has become extremely sensitive to corruption as the war rages on with no end in sight.
“I have decided to replace Ukraine’s defense minister. Oleksiy Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of total war,” Zelensky said.
“I think the department needs new methods and other forms of interaction with both the military and society as a whole.”
Zelensky said he expected parliament to approve Umarov’s appointment, adding that Umarov “does not need any additional submission.” Zelensky must submit Umarov’s candidacy to parliament for review.
Omirov, a 41-year-old former lawmaker and Crimean Tatar, has headed the State Property Fund of Ukraine since September 2022 and played a role in the delicate wartime negotiations over, for example, the Black Sea grain deal.
He has been lauded in Ukraine for his track record at the State Property Fund, which oversees the privatization of state assets, and which has been embroiled in corruption scandals before taking office.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov shows military uniform during a news conference, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine August 28, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Obtain licensing rights
relationship with the West
During the war, Reznikov’s Defense Ministry pressured the West to break numerous taboos on supplying Ukraine with powerful military equipment, including everything from German-made main battle tanks to Himars multiple launch missiles. Kiev now seems ready to receive US-made F-16 fighter jets soon.
Western military aid played a decisive role in the war, as Ukraine first forced Russian forces to retreat around the capital, Kiev, before launching counterattacks in the northeast and south.
Its forces are now fighting in mined areas and Russian defensive lines to try to regain territory in the southeast and east.
Reznikov, who speaks English, is seen as having built a strong relationship with Allied defense ministers and military officials.
He was nominated by a member of parliament as a potential new ambassador to Ukraine in London.
His apparent exit appears to put an end to months of domestic 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 he should take political responsibility for what happened.
Last month, a Ukrainian media outlet accused his ministry of corruption while buying army winter coats. Reznikov has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly said he is the target of a smear campaign.
(Reporting by Tom Palmforth and Anna Proshnica; Reporting by Mohamed for The Arabic Bulletin) Editing by Diane Kraft and Rosalba O’Brien
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