The Ukrainian government has dismissed six deputy defence ministers on this morning following the appointment of a new defence minister earlier this month.
The government gave no reason for the dismissals of Hanna Maliar, who has frequently issued public updates on Russia’s war against Ukraine and Oleksii Reznikov has been replaced by Rustem Umerov asd defence minister.
In a statement by Umerov, he claims the ministry had been dogged by media allegations of corruption while Reznikov was in the post although he was not directly accused of allegations himself.
He also stated that his priorities would include making the ministry the main institution for the coordination of defence forces, enhancing the value attached to individual soldiers, developing Ukraine’s military industry and fighting corruption.
Maliar, a war crimes lawyer, who had served as a deputy defence minister since 2021 is also facing criticism after initially reporting that Ukrainian forces had recaptured an eastern village from Russian forces, but later said her report was inaccurate and that fighting was still raging around the village.
