Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the replacement of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov with Rustem Umerov, citing the need for new leadership in the Ministry of Defense after Reznikov’s more than 550 days in a full-scale war environment. Zelenskyy made this announcement through his official Telegram account.
In a night address, President Zelenskyy emphasized the necessity of new approaches and different formats of interaction for the Ministry, both with the military and society. He expressed his expectation of support for Umerov’s candidacy from the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine.
Rustem Umerov, a 41-year-old politician from the opposition Holos party, has been serving as the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine since September 2022. He played a key role in the exchange of prisoners of war, political prisoners, children, and civilians, as well as the evacuation of civilians from occupied territories. Umerov was also a part of the Ukrainian delegation involved in negotiations with Russia over the UN-backed grain deal.
The decision to replace Defense Minister Reznikov comes amid a military scandal involving the Ministry of Defense’s procurement of military jackets. Investigative journalists reported that the materials for the jackets were purchased at a price three times higher than normal, and instead of winter jackets, summer ones were ordered. Reznikov had denied these allegations during a news conference held last week.
This announcement follows a recent Russian drone attack on the Reni seaport in Ukraine’s Odesa region, which resulted in two people being hospitalized. The attack involved 25 Iranian-made Shahed drones fired along the Danube River, with 22 of them being shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The drone attack occurred just before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to discuss the resumption of food shipments from Ukraine under a Black Sea grain agreement that Moscow had previously suspended in July.
Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff for President Zelenskyy, described the drone assault as part of a Russian effort “to provoke a food crisis and hunger in the world.” The situation in Ukraine remains tense as the country faces military threats and ongoing challenges in its relations with Russia.