Shoigu: Minister of Defense in Ukraine “can be changed at least every day”

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu commented to reporters on the resignation of Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov.

“[Зависит] not on who will be the Minister of Defense. It all depends on what Washington says. As they say, so be it. They can change [министров] at least every day,” Shoigu says on the video of the Zvezda TV channel.

On September 4, Reznikov submitted his resignation to the Verkhovna Rada. He explained the decision by the fact that during the 22 months of his work, “the key tasks that were identified during the appointment” were completed. According to him, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine carried out “reforms in the field of procurement, automated control systems were adopted, a set of digital transformation measures was carried out, and interaction between structures was established.”

Reznikov said that he also submitted his resignation to the President of Ukraine. He has served as Minister of Defense since November 2021.

On September 3, Zelensky announced the dismissal of Reznikov. Earlier, Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak said that after his resignation, he would take the post of Ukraine’s ambador to the UK.

The post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine will be taken by the former deputy of the Rada, chairman of the State Property Fund Rustem Umerov. Zelensky explained the reshuffle by saying that the ministry “needs new approaches and other formats of interaction both with the military and with society as a whole.” According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the appointment of Umerov must be supported by a majority of votes in parliament. The President of Ukraine expressed confidence that the Verkhovna Rada would approve his proposal.