The Ukrainian government, led by Volodymyr Zelensky, announced this Monday (18) the dismissal of six deputy defense ministers.
The decision was taken weeks after the departure of Oleksyi Reznikov as head of the department, who took office three months before Russia started the war, in February 2022.
The Ukrainian president appointed former deputy Rustem Umerov to the Ministry of Defense amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Umerov is the leader of the State Property Fund of Ukraine and played an important role in the prisoner exchange, protection of civilians and attempts to negotiate with Russia.
The ministerial reform comes after pressure from the European Union (EU), which has supported Ukraine in the conflict, but called for a “tougher line” from the president against corruption within the country. Recently, the department was the target of allegations of corruption in the media.
Zelensky’s government did not say the reason for the mass dismissal. Among the names that left the ministry is Hanna Maliar, according to the American broadcaster CNN. The Deputy Minister of Defense was responsible for issuing public updates on the war.
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