The Verkhovna Rada supported the dismissal of Alexey Reznikov from the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine. This was reported, in particular, by People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said in an evening address that he had decided to dismiss Reznikov. His place is expected to be taken by the head of the State Property Fund, Rustem Umerov, after his candidacy is approved by parliament.
According to deputy Zheleznyak, the Rada is now considering the issue of dismissing Umerov from the post of head of the State Property Fund, and on Wednesday deputies will vote on his appointment as Minister of Defense.
On August 4, it was reported that Alexey Reznikov submitted his resignation to the Rada. President Zelensky, explaining the need for personnel changes two days ago, noted that Reznikov served as Minister of Defense for more than 550 days of a full-scale war. “In my opinion, the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole,” Zelensky said. He expects parliament to support the candidacy of Rustem Umerov, notes the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty.
The decision to resign Alexey Reznikov was preceded by reports about the possibility of such a step, including after several corruption scandals related to government procurement for the army. The investigations led to the dismissal of several senior officials, including deputy defense ministers. Alexey Reznikov takes credit for the fact that, with his active participation, it was possible to achieve the West’s consent to supply Kyiv with modern types of weapons – after the start of the Russian full-scale invasion.
