Zelenskiy moves to replace wartime defense minister

Reuters Videos
8 個月前

STORY: During his nightly address to the nation Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced plans to dismiss Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov from his post.

Zelenskiy said he planned to ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, who heads Ukraine's main privatization fund.

The move sets the stage for the biggest shakeup of Ukraine's defense establishment since the war was launched by Russia in February 2022.

Reznikov, who was named defense minister in November 2021, has helped secure billions of dollars of Western military aid to help the war effort.

But he has been dogged by graft allegations surrounding his ministry, which he described as smears.

The change of defense minister must be approved by parliament, which Zelenskiy said he expects to happen.

Umerov has headed Ukraine's State Property Fund since September 2022 and has played a role in sensitive wartime negotiations.