Ukraine. There will be a new defense minister. Rustam Umarov as Oleksiy Reznikov

– I decided to change the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Oleksey Reznikov succeeded him with more than 550 days of total war (which Russia started on February 24, 2022 – ed.). “I think the ministry needs a new approach and new forms of cooperation – both with the army and with the public,” Zelensky said in an evening video on social media.

– The ministry should be headed by Rustam Umarov. The Verkhovna Rada knows him well, and Omirov needs no further introduction. The Ukrainian president said: “I expect that the parliament will support this nomination.”

In doing so, he confirmed media reports about Reznikov’s planned departure. And the Ukrainian “Pravda” portal reported last August that Zelensky was planning to change the position of defense minister. Umarov’s name as a potential successor has also appeared in the media. The media speculated that Reznikov would become Ukraine’s ambassador to London.

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The Minister of Defense did not confirm or deny these reports. “All decisions regarding the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are taken by the President (Zelensky),” he said in an interview with the Ukrinform agency published on Sunday.

Reznikov has headed the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense since November 2021. He was previously Deputy Prime Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories.