Ukraine’s defence minister to get replaced – as Zelenskyy believes ‘new approaches’ are wanted
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has introduced he’ll substitute his defence minister – marking the most important political shake-up in Ukraine for the reason that begin of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
In his nightly video handle to the nation, the Ukrainian president stated he would dismiss defence minister Oleksii Reznikov and ask parliament this week to exchange him with Rustem Umerov, head of the nation’s most important privatisation fund.
Mr Reznikov has been defence minister since November 2021 and had helped safe billions of {dollars} of Western navy help to assist the battle effort, however has been dogged by corruption allegations surrounding his ministry that he has described as smears.
Mr Umerov, a 41-year-old former legislator of Crimean Tatar descent, has been on the helm of Ukraine’s State Property Fund since September 2022 and has been actively concerned in delicate wartime negotiations, together with these associated to the Black Sea grain deal.
Sky’s worldwide correspondent Alex Rossi stated the transfer is “very significant”.
“It’s clear President Zelenskyy is trying to reverse the narrative – that you are hearing from some Western officials – that it’s not going particularly well,” he stated.
“How does Mr Reznikov’s dismissal fit into that? Are we going to see a complete change in the way they go about things?
“There have been vital corruption scandals, there is not any accusation towards Mr Reznikov however in fact he’s the person in cost and there have been requires his dismissal.”
The determination comes amid a crackdown on corruption in Ukraine that Mr Zelenskyy has been eager to emphasize.
‘Everyone understands who’s concerned’
Kyiv has utilized to hitch the European Union and the general public has turn into extremely delicate to corruption because the battle rages ad infinitum.
“I believe the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole,” Mr Zelenskyy stated.
An English speaker, Mr Reznikov is seen as having constructed up a powerful rapport with allied defence ministers and navy officers. One MP has tipped him as Ukraine’s doable new ambassador to London.
Within Ukraine, Mr Reznikov’s ministry was accused of shopping for meals at inflated costs.
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The mini-shuffle comes as two individuals have been admitted to hospital after a Russian drone barrage towards port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa area, officers have stated.
The assault got here a day earlier than Russian President Vladimir Putin is because of meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to debate the resumption of meals shipments from Ukraine underneath the Black Sea grain settlement Moscow broke off from in July.
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Mr Zelenskyy’s chief of workers, Andriy Yermak, described the assault as a part of a Russian drive “to provoke a food crisis and hunger in the world”.
Russian drones hit port in Odesa
Elsewhere, two individuals have been killed and two others damage throughout Russian shelling on Sunday on the village of Vuhledar within the Donetsk space.
Artillery fireplace hit eight settlements throughout the area, the National Police wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian prosecutors additionally stated on Sunday that they’ve opened a battle crimes investigation into the loss of life of a police officer killed by Russian shelling in town of Seredyna-Buda on Saturday.
Two different cops and one civilian have been damage through the assault, which hit Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy area.
A Ukrainian commander earlier instructed the Guardian his troops had breached Russia’s first line of defense close to Zaporizhzhia after weeks of painstaking mine clearance.