Minister of Defense of Ukraine submitted a letter of resignation
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Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov submitted his resignation to the Verkhovna Rada. He announced this on Facebook (owned by the company Meta, recognized as extremist and banned in Russia).
“In pursuance of the decision of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, he submitted a letter of resignation to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,” Reznikov wrote.
In a statement, the Minister of Defense explained that he was resigning due to the fact that during the 22 months of his work, “the key tasks that were identified during the appointment” were completed. According to him, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine carried out “reforms in the field of procurement, automated control systems were adopted, a set of digital transformation measures was carried out, and interaction between structures was established.”
Reznikov said that he also submitted his resignation to the President of Ukraine. He has served as Minister of Defense since November 2021.
September 3 Zelensky informed on the dismissal of the current Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Earlier, Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that after Reznikov’s resignation, he would take the post of Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK.
The post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine will be taken by the former deputy of the Rada, chairman of the State Property Fund Rustem Umerov. Zelensky explained the reshuffle by saying that the ministry “needs new approaches and other formats of interaction both with the military and with society as a whole.” According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the appointment of Umerov must be supported by a majority of votes in parliament. The President of Ukraine expressed confidence that the Verkhovna Rada would approve his proposal.
The New York Times (NYT), citing unnamed officials from the Ukrainian presidential administration indicates on several reasons for Reznikov’s resignation. According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian authorities have realized the need for a change in leadership as the conflict drags on. The president’s decision was also influenced by criticism from civil society and the media over contract scandals. Another important factor was Reznikov’s own request to resign, the source claims.
In 2023, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense faced allegations of violations in the conclusion of military contracts and corruption, writes NYT. In particular, weapons worth $986 million were not delivered on time. A number of other deliveries are also delayed for several months, the newspaper notes. Ukrainian media also wrote about overpayments by the Ministry of Defense for basic goods for the army, including for eggs to feed military personnel, canned beans and winter coats.
Reznikov’s dismissal also came against the backdrop of a fourth-month-long Ukrainian counteroffensive. Active offensive operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been carried out since the beginning of June, however, according to the Russian authorities, the counteroffensive does not bring Kyiv to achieve its goals. Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are suffering heavy losses, and all enemy offensive attempts are being stopped.
According to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who he led On August 17, since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already lost 45,000 people killed and seriously wounded. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation last reported on losses from Ukraine on August 4. By data departments, since the beginning of active offensive operations, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost more than 43,000 military personnel.
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