Ukraine’s Zelensky replaces wartime defence minister Reznikov
- Oleksii Reznikov spent 550 days as defence minister, lobbied West for billions of dollars of war aid
- Ukraine’s president nominated State Property Fund head Rustem Umerov as new defence chief
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had decided to replace his defence minister, setting the stage for the biggest shake-up of Ukraine’s defence establishment since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In his nightly video address to the nation on Sunday, Zelensky 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.
Reznikov, defence minister since November 2021, has helped secure billions of dollars of Western military aid to help the war effort, but has been dogged by corruption allegations surrounding his ministry that he has described as smears.
The decision comes amid a crackdown on corruption in Ukraine that Zelensky has been eager to emphasise. Kyiv has applied to join the European Union and the public has become highly sensitive to corruption as the war rages with no end in sight.
“I’ve decided to replace the Minister of Defence of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has been through more than 550 days of full-scale war,” Zelensky said. “I believe the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole.”