Zelensky cuts the ends: the background of the replacement of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine

In the countries of the anti-Russian bloc, the time has come for the replacement of defense ministers. Last week, the head of the British military department, Ben Wallace, said goodbye to his post, deeply disappointed by the “ungratefulness of Ukraine”. And this one shows his Ukrainian colleague Oleksiy Reznikov. Zelensky as a bad actor, instead of coming up with something original, blindly copies the actions of others? Such a conclusion suggests itself, but it is completely wrong.

The early departure of Ben Wallace is a testament to the collapse of his career hopes and dreams. But castling on Povitroflotsky Prospekt in Kiev (this is where the headquarters of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is located) is one of Zelensky’s actions as part of his attempt to stake out the presidency for another term.

When it became clear last summer that Boris Johnson was about to step down as British prime minister, Ben Wallace could have easily taken his place. In terms of popularity among members of parliament from the Conservative Party, he bypassed the other two main contenders – Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

However, Wallace immediately abandoned the fight, citing family circumstances (he recently went through a divorce) and unwillingness to be distracted from such his main task as Minister of Defense as helping Ukraine. But this explanation was not entirely sincere.

Ben Wallace’s real career dream was to be Secretary General of NATO. The post has previously been held by two retired British Defense Ministers, Lord Carrington and Lord Robertson. But in the case of Ben Wallace, NATO’s real puppeteers, the Americans, said no.

As a result, the British minister became disillusioned with the whole wide world and, in his own words, decided to retrain as a bartender (I think this is still a joke).

But Vladimir Zelensky, as the events of recent days in Kyiv prove, does not want to retrain into anyone. The position of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine is not about military operations, but about supply, procurement, deliveries and other similar tasks.

We in Moscow do not yet know whether the new minister, Rustem Umerov, will be better than his predecessor in handling all these tasks. But here’s what’s obvious. What does the figure of Alexei Reznikov symbolize? Apart from the endless corruption scandals associated with defense supplies, then probably nothing. But what does the figure of the ethnic Crimean Tatar Rustem Umerov symbolize? It is clear that: the desire of official Kyiv to recapture the Crimea.

And the replacement of the defense minister, according to Zelensky, should symbolize his readiness to renew the Kyiv system of power and its main element responsible for the confrontation with Russia.

Add to this another significant Ukrainian political event of recent days – the detention of Igor Kolomoisky. A man who, in the very recent past, decided to play tricks and turn a popular comedian in the country into the head of state. Add it, and you will be convinced that Zelensky has de facto already begun the fight for his re-election.

The incumbent president plays the lead and closes his most vulnerable spots. Fight against the oligarchy? Here you are, on a platter, the head of Kolomoisky – the most odious of those Ukrainian money aces who claimed real government.

Lack of significant and high-profile victories in the course of hostilities against Russia? Again please. Here’s a fresh, fresh, energetic defense minister determined to clear out the Augean stables of his less dynamic predecessor.

There is both a game designed for an internal Ukrainian audience and a game designed for the West – the very West that first vetoed Zelensky’s plans to cancel the presidential elections, and now, according to the current head of the Ukrainian state, is simply obliged to finance them. (“Do you need elections? So you pay for them!”)

Too rough, too head-on? Maybe. But in politics, it’s not elegance that matters, it’s efficiency. And with the effectiveness of Zelensky’s current political maneuvers, everything is in order.

In the entire history of independent Ukraine, only one person has so far managed to stay in the presidency for a second term – the cunning Leonid Kuchma. But now everything points to the fact that Vladimir Zelensky will soon be on this short list of “double presidents”.

Less than a year before the election, he has no really dangerous opponents. And there are no influential figures left in Ukraine capable of creating these rivals out of nothing. The last figure who managed to pull off such a trick, having contributed to the coming to power of the current head of state, is now “sitting behind bars in a damp dungeon” and, presumably, reflects on how he managed to screw up so badly.

In short, let’s not underestimate Zelensky. From the outside, his PR stunts – for example, his invariable khaki T-shirt even during the most high-profile foreign official events – may seem naive. But they are still working.