Ukraine’s defense minister replaced amid wartime corruption crackdown
Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense minister for the last 22 months, will be standing down from the high-profile post, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelesnkyy announced late on Sept. 3.
President Zelenskyy has nominated Rustem
Umerov, the current head of the State Property Fund, as Reznikov’s successor.
This transition is slated to occur later this week.
Commenting on the change, the president said
there was a need for “novel approaches and different modes of engagement with
both the military and society at large” within the Ministry of Defense.
The ministry has in recent months been
rocked by scandals involving food and clothing procurement at allegedly
inflated prices. While there is no indication that Reznikov was involved in the
scandals, rumors of his pending resignation have been swirling for months.
The change of leadership at the Defense
Ministry also comes amid a wartime crackdown on corruption in Ukraine:
Reznikov’s resignation was announced just a day after Ukrainian oligarch Ihor
Kolomoisky appeared in a Kyiv court facing charges of fraud. The president in
recent days also vowed to equate fraud in wartime to treason.
Regarding other rumors of his potential
appointment as Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Reznikov responded
that he is “not aware” of any such plans. President Zelenskyy dismissed Vadym
Prystaiko from his post as Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom on July
21.
Reznikov has officially tendered his resignation
to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, the minister announced on his
Facebook page on Sept. 4.
“In accordance with the decision of Ukraine’s
President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, I have submitted my resignation to the
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. I stand prepared to provide a report. Let’s remain
vigilant!” he said in his post.
In his resignation statement, he briefly
reflected on his tenure, highlighting that during his 22 months in office, his
department had “successfully fulfilled crucial objectives outlined at the start
of my appointment.”
Reznikov stressed that one of Ukraine’s top
priorities is to forge a lasting partnership with key allies, ensuring genuine
security assurances and bolstered defense capabilities.
David Arakhamia, the head of the
pro-Presidential Servant of the People faction, confirmed that the Verkhovna
would be voting on Reznikov’s dismissal this week and Umerov’s appointment as
his replacement.
Rumors of Reznikov’s resignation have been circulating since Feb. 2023, amidst a corruption
scandal involving the Defense Ministry procurement of overpriced supplies for
the Armed Forces.
At that time, Information surfaced that
Reznikov would be transferred to the Strategic Industry Ministry, and Kyrylo
Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate
or HUR would be appointed in his place. Reznikov himself stated that he would resign if President Zelenskyy decided on such a move.
In early August, Ukrainian news outlet ZN.UA
published an investigation revealing that the Defense Ministry had signed a
contract with a Turkish company for the supply of winter clothing for the
military in fall 2022. Jackets ordered as “camouflage” turned into “winter air
protective” coats during transit and tripled in cost.
NV’s sister publication Ukrainska Pravda
released its own investigation on Aug. 25, which revealed that one of the
owners of the company with which the contract was made was the nephew of
Servant of the People MP, Hennady Kasai.
Reznikov denied any wrongdoing, saying he would resign if
allegations that he purchased summer instead of winter uniforms were proven
true. If not, Reznikov challenged Ukrainska Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach and MP
Anastasia Radina to resign.
Reznikov stated on Aug. 28 that he had not
discussed his possible resignation with Zelenskyy. When asked whether the
president had offered him the position of ambassador to the UK, he responded that he
and Zelenskyy had discussed several potential projects.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
