KYIV: Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted his resignation on Monday in the biggest shakeup of the defence establishment in 18 months of war with Russia.
Reznikov has been at the forefront of Kyiv’s lobbying for Western weapons to fight Russia’s invasion, but his departure after months of corruption allegations against his ministry is not expected to have a big impact on military operations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he was sacking Reznikov and proposed Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar and ex-lawmaker who runs the State Property Fund, to replace him.
Reznikov, who took office in 2021, has helped Kyiv secure billions of dollars worth of Western military aid since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Ukraine has received weapons including German battle tanks, US HIMARS rocket launchers and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles to push back Russian forces, and is poised to receive US F-16 fighter jets soon. — Reuters
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