Zelensky Wants to Dump Ukraine’s Wartime Defense Minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that he would replace his minister of defense, the official who has spearheaded much of the war effort since Russian forces first pushed across the border in February 2022, citing the need for “new approaches” in the defense apparatus as the conflict stretches towards the two-year mark. In a nightly address, Zelensky said he planned to dismiss Oleksii Reznikov from his post, and would be nominating Rustem Umerov for parliamentary approval as his replacement. “Oleksii Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of full-scale war,” Zelensky said. “I believe that the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society at large.” Umerov, whom Zelensky said “does not need any additional introduction,” runs Ukraine’s State Property Fund. Local media has speculated, according to the BBC, that Reznikov will become the Ukrainian ambassador to London. His dismissal comes amid a wider crackdown on corruption as Kyiv applies to join the European Union; while Reznikov himself has not been accused of corruption, the ministry under his watch has been dogged by allegations of misconduct in military contracting.