Ukraine replaces defense minister amidst allegations of wartime corruption

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans to replace his defense minister — a major administration shake-up coming just over a month after he vowed to crack down on wartime corruption.

Zelensky said during his nightly address to the nation Sunday that he was dismissing Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and would appoint Ukraine’s State Property Fund chairman Rustem Umerov to the high-level position.

“I’ve decided to replace the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has been through more than 550 days of full-scale war,” Zelensky said in the address.

“I believe the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole.”

He added that he expected the state parliament — which must approve the appointment — to move forward with Umerov in the near future.

The dismissal is the first major administration shake-up in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.

First appointed defense minister in November 2021, Reznikov helped secure billions of dollars in defense funding from allies.

However, his term was marred by corruption allegations in recent months after the Ukrainian military was accused of buying food at massively outsized prices.

He was also the focus of a Ukrainian news outlet investigation, which alleged his administration grossly over-payed for winter coats.

Reznikov denied those allegations and said he was the target of a smear campaign.

His replacement, 41-year-old Umerov, was a critical voice in a number of wartime negotiations, according to Reuters.

One such negotiation was the Black Sea grain deal with Russia, which allowed Ukrainian cargo ships to trade through the Black Sea without interference until Vladimir Putin pulled out of the arrangement in July.

Late last month, Zelensky told the nation he would not tolerate any corruption in his administration and vowed to crack down on any he found.

In addition to the allegations against Reznikov, recruitment officials were accused of embezzling funds, while a member of parliament was arrested and accused of collaborating with Russia.

Early in August, Zelensky fired all 33 of his heads of regional recruitment following the embezzlement allegations.