Ukrainian Defense Minister responds to reports of his replacement
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov holds a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 5. (Photo: Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov addressed rumors that he might be replaced, saying the decision rests with President Zelensky.
“No official remains in office forever. Not a single one. So one must be ready at any moment for this stage to end,” Reznikov told reporters in Kyiv on Sunday.
“The decision whether or not I will be defense minister is made by only one person: the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky,” Reznikov said.
“Therefore, I will take certain decisions only on the decision of the President of Ukraine. And then, again, I will do what the President of Ukraine offers me, I will do everything for our victory,” he added.
The formal process to replace Ukraine’s defense minister requires Zelensky to first petition parliament to remove the minister. Ukrainian lawmakers then hold a vote on the proposal. Zelensky will then propose a new defense minister, whose approval will also have to be voted on by lawmakers. This could happen in the next few days.
On Wednesday of last week, officials from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that they had accused the former head of procurement of the Ministry of Defense of embezzlement for the purchase of thousands of protective vests of inferior quality.
The official spent the equivalent of US$2.7 million on nearly 3,000 “bulletproof vests” for the Ukrainian armed forces, which were later found to be incapable of “adequately protecting Ukrainian soldiers.”
The SBU said the official was charged with “misappropriation, embezzlement or seizure of property through abuse of functions”, obstruction of the armed forces and “commission of a criminal offense by a group of persons”.
The SBU said the individual faced between five and eight years in prison and had removed his bulletproof vest.
“In addition, the SBU is carrying out investigative actions against other officials in the security and defense sector who may be involved in illegal activities that harm the security of the State. This is a set of measures aimed at strengthening the capabilities of defense of our state,” the SBU declared at the time.
The accusations come after Zelensky fired a series of top Ukrainian officials since late January amid a widening corruption scandal linked to the procurement of wartime supplies, in the biggest shakeup of his government since the start of the war. Russian invasion.
CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva, Mick Krever and Jack Guy contributed reporting.