- Sputnik International, 1920
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Zelensky Announces Resignation of Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov

© AP Photo / Sergei KholodilinRustem Umerov
Rustem Umerov  - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.09.2023
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will leave his post, saying that the chief of the Ukrainian State Property Fund, Rustem Umerov, will head the country's defense department.

"Oleksii Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of a full-scale war. I believe that the [defense] ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society in general. Rustem Umerov is set to head the ministry now ... I expect the parliament to support this candidacy," Zelensky said in a video address on Telegram.

The exact date of when Rustem Umerov's candidacy will be submitted to the Ukrainian parliament has not been revealed.
On August 19, Reznikov said that he was ready to stand down amid a dispute over inflated military catering costs. Zelensky was reportedly looking to replace Reznikov after the defense minister came under fire over allegations of corruption that have been dogging the Ukrainian government since January.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in peace talks with Russia in Belarus. February 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.08.2023
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Rampant Corruption May Prompt Ukrainian Defense Minister's Ousting - Ex-MP

Rustem Umerov was born in 1982. He received a Bachelor's degree in economics and a Master's degree in finance from the Ukrainian National Academy of Management. He has been the Chairman of the Ukrainian State Property Fund (implements state policy in the areas of privatization, lease, use and alienation of state property, management of state property) since 2022.

The change of defense minister in Ukraine, while it may not be a sign of direct distrust of the current army leadership on the issue of the so-called counter-offensive of the Ukraine military forces, nevertheless might rise questions regarding the efficiency of Western support to Ukraine's army.
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