Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that, this week, he will ask parliament to remove Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and replace him with Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s primary privatisation fund.
Clarifying the changing of the guard, Zelensky added that “new approaches” were the need of the hour.
According to reports, the decision, announced in Zelensky’s nightly video message to the country on Sunday morning, sets the ground for the most significant shake-up of Ukraine’s defence apparatus since the war began.
Zelensky Replaces Ukraine’s Defence Minister Reznikov
— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) September 3, 2023
Reznikov, appointed three months before Moscow's invasion, has led Kyiv's negotiations to equip its forces with modern weaponry from allies https://t.co/fGTLjzPVQz pic.twitter.com/YkvwDEJxIF
Zelensky’s Decision
Reznikov, appointed defence minister in November 2021, has helped receive billions of dollars in Western military funding to boost the war effort. Nonetheless, he has been targeted by corruption allegations, which he has dismissed as smears.
In a televised address, Zelensky said lawmakers will vote this week on whether to remove Reznikov, who has managed the ministry since before Russia began its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
“I have decided to replace the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Oleksiy Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of full-scale war. I believe that the Ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society at large,” Zelensky announced.
The Ukrainian president indicated that the parliament will support Umerov’s appointment, adding that Umerov “does not need any additional introduction.” Reportedly, Zelensky must submit Umerov’s candidature to parliament for consideration.
Allegations on Defence Ministry
Reznikov’s removal comes amid several corruption scandals involving Ukraine’s defence ministry. According to reports, the defence ministry has been engaged in many highly publicised scandals in recent months after Ukrainian media found that officials were purchasing food and winter clothing at inflated prices.
As per the reports, earlier this year, Zelensky fired a slew of senior officials over a scandal involving the procurement of wartime supplies; the country’s deputy defence minister resigned after facing corruption allegations; and in August, Zelensky fired all officials in charge of regional military recruitment centres, citing numerous ongoing criminal proceedings.
Reports reveal that there is no evidence that Reznikov was involved in any corrupt operations or diverted any Western military supplies.
#WIONConversation | Corruption in #Ukraine is a topic that is highly controversial. Misuse of funds has garnered a firm response from the Ukrainian administration.@SehgalRahesha talks to @GlenGrant, former advisor, defence minister of Ukraine, for more pic.twitter.com/TBAWWMZBCI
— WION (@WIONews) September 3, 2023
Zelensky claimed that rooting out corruption in Ukraine’s government is essential for Kyiv’s hopes of joining NATO and the EU. Ukraine formally became an EU candidate state last year, but Brussels has clarified that if Kyiv wants to become a full member, it must strengthen its anti-corruption efforts.
Transparency International’s 2021 report states Ukraine is the second most corrupt country in Europe after Russia. It was rated 122nd out of 180 countries globally.
Defence Ministry under Reznikov
Reznikov had earned recognition for arranging the transfer of vast quantities of donated Western equipment, and he handled the army’s expansion and transition from an arsenal of Soviet-legacy munitions to Western systems while his country was under attack.
During the war, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, under Reznikov, encouraged the West to supply Ukraine with heavy military equipment, including German-made main battle tanks and HIMARS rocket artillery.
Rustem Umerov, Next Defence Minister
Umerov, a former investment banker, has reportedly played various crucial roles for the Zelensky Administration since the war began.
He was the chief Ukrainian negotiator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative and a prominent negotiator on prisoner swaps. He is a Crimean Tatar, an ethnic group persecuted due to Russia’s occupation of the Crimean Peninsula.
Additionally, Umerov has managed Ukraine’s Public Property Fund since September 2022, and been applauded in Ukraine for his track record at the State Property Fund, which supervises the privatisation of public assets.