UKRAINE: Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has announced that the defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov’s dismissal this week. He will be replaced by Rustem Umerov, head of the country’s largest privatisation fund, marking the largest reorganisation of Ukraine’s defence apparatus.
Reznikov has been dogged by graft claims that have been levelled against his ministry, which he has called slander. The move comes after a full-scale war for over 550 days.
Zelenskyy believes the ministry needs new strategies and communication methods. The Verkhovna Rada is expected to support Umerov’s appointment, and the change in the minister will likely be approved by the legislature.
Umerov, who is Crimean Tatar, the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund since September 2022, has been involved in peacetime discussions on issues like the Black Sea grain trade.
After Reznikov boasted that the F-16 fighter jets provided by Ukraine’s allies will be deployed by next spring and mentioned the nation’s ambitions to enhance drone production, Zelenskyy made the announcement. Reznikov predicted a boom in Ukrainian drone production this autumn.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the functioning of a sea corridor created by Kyiv for safe ship transit after Moscow pulled out of a historic grain deal.
The call occurred as Moscow bombarded the Odesa region of Ukraine with drones, and Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan were about to meet in Russia to discuss the revival of the grain agreement. Ukraine established a temporary maritime corridor in the Black Sea last month.
The US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, accused the Russian cargo ship Lady R of loading weapons at a naval installation near Cape Town in December, sparking diplomatic disputes and concerns about Western sanctions and South Africa’s neutrality in Russia’s Ukraine conflict.
South Africa denied the allegations, prompting an independent investigation by a retired judge.
Also Read: Ihor Kolomoisky: Ukraine’s Billionaire Detained in Anti-corruption Crackdown
