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Interestingly, new minister is Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar, previously cooperating with Turkey on housing for Crimean Tatars displaced after 2014 invasion of Ukraine.
While I doubt this is the reason why he’s chosen, the timing of the announcement is a bit symbolic as Turkey restarts grain deal negotiations tomorrow. Turkey has been active in safeguarding interests of Crimean Tatars.
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There’s been some corruption scandal in defense ministry with deputy minister being dismissed recently IIRC. Reznikov supposedly held on by the skin of his teeth so it was probably a matter of time until he got replaced.
Not to detract from his accomplishments of course but Ukraine is in the middle of accelerated transformation to European norms in this regard and it was bound to generate some friction.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Internationally recognised, he has regularly attended meetings with Ukraine’s western allies and played a key role in lobbying for additional military equipment.
His dismissal comes amid a wider anti-corruption drive in Mr Zelensky’s administration, with weeding out graft in the state seen as essential to Ukraine’s desire to join Western institutions like the EU.
While Mr Reznikov is not personally accused of corruption, there have been a number of scandals involving procurement at the ministry of defence over goods and equipment for the army.
At the time, Mr Reznikov said the stress he had endured this year “is hard to measure precisely”, adding that his “conscience is absolutely clear”.
Mr Reznikov’s dismissal comes as Ukraine wages a slow and bloody counter-offensive after securing more advanced weapons from Western allies.
Progress on the frontline has been slow but top Ukrainian generals said on Sunday that their forces have broken through a key line of Russian defences in the south of the country.
The original article contains 508 words, the summary contains 161 words. Saved 68%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
The Nazi country Ukraine, now has a Jew as the president and a Muslim as defence minister…
