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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced late Sunday that he’ll substitute the nation’s protection minister, whilst Kyiv’s counteroffensive seems to be gaining floor with its troops pushing into Russian-held territory.
The departure of Oleksiy Reznikov as protection chief marks the highest-level turnover in Zelenskyy’s internal circle for the reason that begin of the struggle in February 2022. It comes because the Ukrainian authorities is stepping up efforts to deal aggressively with corruption allegations involving army officers.
In a video message Sunday night time, the Ukrainian chief introduced that Reznikov would get replaced as protection minister by Rustem Umerov, the top of the nation’s State Property Fund.
“Reznikov has gone by way of greater than 550 days of full-scale struggle,” Zelenskyy stated. “I consider the ministry now wants new approaches and different codecs of interplay with each the army and society as a complete.”
There have been rumblings for weeks that Rezniko’s days had been numbered. His fame took a number of hits earlier this yr over a handful of wartime scandals within the Protection Ministry wherein officers had been accused of profiteering. Whereas Reznikov was by no means implicated, the revelations had been a black eye not just for his ministry, however for him personally.
Zelenskyy known as on the nation’s parliament to approve the choice as quickly as potential.
Reznikov has been probably the most distinguished faces of Ukraine’s army management since Russia’s invasion, and has traveled all through Europe to attend NATO conferences and to make his pitch to companions for extra weapons, and to ship help pledges extra shortly.
Having a seat on the desk for NATO discussions over the previous 18 months has introduced him in shut contact with protection chiefs throughout the NATO alliance, significantly with U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin. The 2 usually converse by cellphone and huddle in individual at month-to-month Ukraine Protection Contact Group conferences the place a coalition of fifty international locations resolve what new weaponry to ship to Kyiv.
The subsequent assembly of the group will seemingly are available mid-September, and relying on how shortly the Ukrainian parliament strikes, it could possibly be the primary time Umerov takes half within the high-level assembly with protection ministers.
Reznikov was scheduled to fly to the U.S. early this month for a gathering with Austin on the Pentagon, adopted by sit-downs with the heads of the largest American protection contractors to debate new gear purchases and deliveries, in keeping with an individual conversant in the planning.
Zelenskyy’s resolution comes as Ukraine’s counteroffensive lastly seems to creating headway after weeks of sluggish progress.
U.S. Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby stated on Friday that Washington has seen indicators that the counteroffensive is choosing up tempo. In accordance with Kirby, officers have “famous over the past 72 hours or so some notable progress by Ukrainian armed forces,” significantly alongside the southern entrance within the area round Zaporizhzhia.
A prime Ukrainian basic stated on Saturday that Kyiv’s forces had breached Russia’s first line of defense close to Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian troops had been consolidating their maintain on territory reclaimed in latest combating and quicker beneficial properties had been anticipated as they pressed the weaker second line of protection, Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskiy instructed the Guardian in an interview.
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