Rustem Umyerov: This is the new Ukrainian defense minister

In Ukraine, which has been fighting the Russian army for more than 18 months, one of the two key ministries appointed by the president is being replaced for the first time since the beginning of the war. In his evening address on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the dismissal of Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, who will be replaced by Crimean Tatar Rustem Umyerov.

The dismissal of Reznikov, who was considered extremely loyal, was preceded by public scandals surrounding overpriced purchases of food and winter equipment for the army. However, Resnikov is likely to have come under particular pressure because of the systematic corruption in the district military replacement offices and the associated medical drafting commissions. It is difficult for observers to imagine that the extent of the ransom from military service was really unknown to the ministry leadership in Kiev.

Does Zelensky want to distract from corruption in the country?

According to Ukrainian observers, by dismissing Reznikov, who is rumored to be made the new ambassador to London, Zelensky is trying to divert attention from himself and his personnel policy.

Resnikov smiled on Monday with his signed request for dismissal on Facebook. For the 57-year-old lawyer, one of the most intense and stressful periods in his life is likely to end this week. The prospect of a possible post as ambassador to ally Great Britain in comfortable London should sweeten his farewell.

In political Kiev, Umerov’s successor, like his predecessors, is seen as the man of the head of the president’s office, Andriy Yermak. “That means only the family name will change,” wrote the editor-in-chief of the Censor.net website, Yuriy Butusov. The main thing is that the flow of information to the President continues to be controlled by Yermak. “And anyone who gets in Zelenskyy’s ears can solve problems in all areas,” emphasized the journalist. It is particularly important for Selenskyj that he is initially protected from all corruption scandals and incompetent decisions with reference to the new minister.

Rustem Umyerov: the political latecomer

The 41-year-old Umerow got into public politics late. Born in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan, he comes from a family of Crimean Tatars who were deported to Central Asia by the Soviet authorities in 1944. It was not until the late 1980s that they managed to return to their native Alushta on the southern coast of the Black Sea peninsula. As an excellent student, he received a scholarship for an exchange year in the USA in 1999. After graduating in economics and finance, he worked in various companies, most recently in the investment industry.

At the same time, the married father of two children was involved in the Crimean Tatar self-government and in 2007 became an advisor to the then chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Dschemiliev. After the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, Umerov was one of the negotiators who, with Turkish mediation, campaigned for the release of Crimean Tatars imprisoned by Russia for political reasons.

As an independent, he entered parliament in 2019 via the list of the Western-oriented party “Holos” (voice). He was primarily concerned with issues relating to the Russian-annexed Crimea. After the Russian invasion a good 18 months ago, Umerov, who is well connected in Turkey, began to rise in negotiations with the Russian side in Istanbul. In September 2022, the investment professional was then temporarily put in charge of the fund for state assets.

A year later, Umyevrov is designated Defense Minister. His appointment by Parliament is expected later this week. He still has to prove whether he can develop a similarly good relationship with his western allies.