Rustem Umerov faces two battlefronts: Fighting corruption and boosting Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia

Rustem Umerov is set to become Ukraine’s new defence minister. He is a leading member of the Crimean Tatar community and represented Ukraine in negotiations with Russia. In his video statement announcing the replacement on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said MPs would be called to vote on Umerov’s nomination this week. The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) “knows this person well and Mr Umerov does not need any additional introductions”. Born in Soviet Uzbekistan, where his family was exiled to under Stalin, Umerov moved back to Crimea in Ukraine as a child when the Tatars were allowed to return in the 1980s and 1990s. The 41-year-old Muslim was elected to Parliament in 2019 where he served as co-chair of the Crimea Platform, an international diplomatic effort aimed at reversing Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. He has also worked for years as an adviser to the leader of the Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Dzhemilev. Russia wrested control of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and pushed through a referendum on the annexation that was condemned as illegitimate by Ukraine and its Western allies. The Tatar community, which accounted for 12-15 per cent of Crimea’s two million residents, largely boycotted the vote. Moscow then banned the Mejlis, the traditional assembly of the Tatar Muslim minority, declaring it an extremist organisation and jailed members of the community since, citing security concerns. “Russian propagandists invented the narrative of dividing the Ukrainian nation into ethnics to justify their military actions on the territory of our country,” said Umerov last year in an interview to Jordanian news site Amman Net. “We do not feel any chauvinism or Islamophobia [in Ukraine] regarding our ethnicity or religion,” he said. Behind the scenes negotiations Though a member of an opposition political party, Umerov, has taken on several critical roles for the Zelenskyy government since the war began. Both after the annexation and after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Umerov has taken part in behind-the-scenes talks with Russian officials, including negotiating high-profile prisoner exchanges, and evacuations of civilians. He was part of Ukraine’s delegation in negotiations with Russia in the first weeks of the war and participated in talks on establishing an export corridor for Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. Russia has since pulled out of the grain deal, accusing Ukraine and its allies of failing to uphold a part of the agreement to facilitate Russian exports. In September last year, he was named head of the State Property Fund – whose mission is to attract investment into Ukraine. A difficult role in Ukraine where the process of privatisation has been plagued by corruption. Reznikov dogged by graft allegations President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired his defence minister Oleksii Reznikov, citing the need for “new approaches” as the war with Russia enters its 19th month. “This week, Parliament will be asked to make a personnel decision … I have decided to replace the Minister of Defence of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of fullscale war,” Zelensky said. Reznikov has been holding the position since November 2021 and has helped secure billions of dollars of Western military aid to help the war effort but has been dogged by graft allegations surrounding his Ministry. His removal also comes in the wake of a number of corruption scandals involving Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence. President Zelenskyy fired a number of senior officials at the beginning of the year over a scandal linked to the procurement of wartime supplies. The country’s deputy defence minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov resigned after facing allegations of corruption. As per reports the Ministry of Defence has been facing a string of allegations of mishandling military contracting and corruption as its budget ballooned. At one point, $986 million worth of weaponry the ministry had contracted for was undelivered by dates specified in contracts, according to government figures. As per New York Times, “The allegations dogging the Ministry are not related to Western weapons transfers but to domestic weapons procurement. Western countries transfer weapons and ammunition directly to the Ukrainian Army, while financial aid is directed to nonmilitary spending. Ukrainian tax revenues fund defence procurement, where the accusations of mismanagement arose.” It was widely reported that Reznikov barely held on to his own post. At the time, he said the stress he had endured was “hard to measure precisely”, adding that his “conscience is absolutely clear”. His apparent exit appears to bring an end to months of domestic media pressure that began in January when the defence ministry was accused of buying food at inflated prices. Though not personally involved in the food contract, some Ukrainian commentators said he should take political responsibility for what happened. The fate of the defence minister, had been the subject of increasing speculation in Ukraine. Last month, a media outlet accused the defence ministry of corruption during the procurement of winter coats for the army. Reznikov denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly said he was being targeted by a smear campaign. Recently President Zelenskyy dismissed all officials in charge of regional military recruitment centres, citing numerous ongoing criminal proceedings. While Reznikov has not been implicated in any of these scandals, they have still been seen to damage him by association. On 1 September, the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with senior Ukrainian anti-corruption officials and urged them to continue prosecuting anti-graft cases “no matter where they lead”. The next day, one of Ukraine’s most powerful oligarchs and a key Zelenskyy supporter, Ihor Kolomoisky, was arrested as part of a fraud investigation. Let’s keep the line President Zelenskyy said eliminating corruption is vital to Kyiv’s chances of attaining long-awaited membership in NATO and the European Union. Ukraine officially became an EU candidate state last year, but Brussels has made it clear that Kyiv will need to step up its fight against corruption if it wants to become a full member. According to a 2021 report by Transparency International, Ukraine is the second-most corrupt country in Europe after Russia. Globally, it ranked 122nd of 180 countries. President Zelenskyy’s promise to rid the country of corruption was one of the reasons behind his rapid ascent into power in 2019 as he managed to tap into the nation’s deep-rooted disappointment and disgust over rampant corruption. Reznikov submitted his resignation and wrote on Facebook: “Following the decision of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, I submitted my resignation to the Ukrainian Parliament. I am ready for the report. Let’s keep the line!” On Twitter, he said that “it was an honour to serve the Ukrainian people and work for the #UAarmy for the last 22 months, the toughest period of Ukraine’s modern history.” As per BBC, Ukrainian media has speculated that he will become Kyiv’s new Ambassador in London, where he has developed good relations with senior politicians. The 57-year-old has become a well-known figure since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Internationally recognised, he has regularly attended meetings with Ukraine’s Western allies and played a key role in lobbying for additional military equipment. Although Reznikov, an English speaker has had numerous interactions with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, a Pentagon spokesperson declined comment on the move, saying that it was an internal matter for the Ukrainian government. Conclusion The removal of Reznikov in light of the din of criticism is no doubt the biggest shake-up in Ukraine’s government since Russia’s full-scale invasion. He had won praise for negotiating the transfer of vast quantities of donated Western weaponry, and he oversaw the expansion of the army and its transition from an arsenal of Soviet-legacy armaments to Western systems. Umerov’s appointment comes as Ukraine is in the midst of a slow and bloody counter-offensive after securing more advanced weapons from Western allies. It is a critical time both from the point of view of the counteroffensive in the South, and at a time when its relationships with allies and donors enter a new phase. Ukraine is trying to accelerate the training and deployment of F16 combat planes as well as acquire a host of other equipment and weapons to help push forward its counteroffensive, but it also needs to counter corruption. However, the reshuffle is unlikely to lead to any major change in Ukraine’s battlefield strategy, with General Valery Zaluzhny the Commander of Ukraine’s Armed Forces overseeing the campaign. The author is a retired Major General of the Indian Army. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .