Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced by the head of military intelligence as the country braces for a Russian offensive, a senior lawmaker from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s party said.
David Arakhamiya, the Servant of the People party’s parliamentary leader, didn’t specify in a Telegram post when Reznikov would be replaced. Picking the defense minister is up to the president and Zelenskyy’s office had no comment late Sunday.
Ukraine has been cracking down on corruption under pressure from allies that are supporting the country militarily against Russia. The Defense Ministry recently faced allegations that officials were skimming money off food supplies for the armed forces — accusations that Reznikov and the ministry have denied.
Reznikov, 56, has been key to building Ukraine’s defenses against Vladimir Putin’s invasion. A former lawyer appointed to the post in 2021, he’ll be replaced by Major General Kyrylo Budanov because “the time and circumstances demand strengthening and regrouping,” according to Arakhamiya.
“The enemy is preparing to launch an offensive. We are preparing to defend and to return ours,” Arakhamiya said. “At this stage, law enforcement agencies should be headed not by politicians but by career military.”
Reznikov has led Ukraine’s pitch for increasingly sophisticated Western weapons that have helped his country stem Russia’s offensive since Feb. 24 and started to turn around its battlefield fortunes.
A journalist’s investigation reported in January that Reznikov’s subordinates deliberately bought staples for the army at inflated prices for their own profit, allegations that he and the ministry denied.
Reznikov will shift to heading the Ministry for Strategic Industries, Arakhamiya said. “It is absolutely logical, taking Reznikov’s experience and need to improve the ministry that must do more,” he said.
