Ukraine President will replace wartime defense minister this week
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy announces that Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced by Rustem Umerov this week. Zelenskyy announced on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed after Reznikov went through "more than 550 days of full-scale war." In a night address, the Ukrainian President added that he believes “that the Ministry needs new approaches and different formats of interaction both with the military and with society." “The Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine is well acquainted with this person, and Umerov does not require additional introductions. I expect support for this candidacy from parliament," Zelenskyy added.
41-year-old Umerov is a politician with the opposition Holos party and has served as head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine since September 2022. He was involved in the exchange of prisoners of war, political prisoners, children, and civilians, as well as the evacuation of civilians from occupied territories. Umierov was also part of the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations with Russia over the UN-backed grain deal.
In August, a scandal arose around the Ministry of Defense’s procurement of military jackets. Ukrainian investigative journalists reported that the materials were purchased at a price three times higher than normal and that instead of winter jackets, summer ones were ordered. In the customs documents from the supplier, the jackets were priced at $29 per unit, but the Ministry of Defense paid $86 per unit.
Reznikov denied the allegations during a news conference last week. Zelenskyy's announcement came after two people were hospitalized following a 3.5-hour Russian drone barrage on a port in Ukraine’s Odesa region yesterday. The attack on the
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