Ukraine's defence minister to be replaced with spy agency's chief, confirms Zelensky's close aide

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's close ally on Sunday said that the country's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov is set to be replaced with the military spy agency's chief in a wartime reshuffle.

Chief of Servant of the People parliamentary bloc and senior lawmaker David Arakhamia said that Reznikov would be given another ministerial position and his position will be filled by the GUR military intelligence agency's head Kyrylo Budanov.

"War dictates changes in personnel policy," said Arakhamia, using the Telegram messaging app.

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Replacing of the country's defence minister would be the highest profile reshuffle in the government amid a slew of sackings and resignations after a corruption scandal took place last month and the president pledged that the nation would meet standards of the West in the aspect of clean governance.

Arakhamia said that politicians should not head the “force” agencies of Ukraine, like the defence ministry, in wartime, instead, they should be led by people who have a background in security or defence.

He added that the position of minister of strategic industries will be offered to Reznikov.

Reznikov, who had earlier stated that it was up to Zelenskyto decide on the reshuffle, later while speaking to the Ukrainian Fakty ICTV online media said that his reshuffle to the new ministry was news to him.

"If I suddenly received such an offer from the president of Ukraine or the prime minister, I would refuse it, because I do not have the expertise," said Reznikov.

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Zelensky did not release any media statement immediately on the reshuffling of Reznikov, who had taken oath as the country's defence minister in November 2021, just a few months before a full-scale invasion was launched by Russia on February 24, 2022.

Meanwhile, speaking about the possibility of a reshuffle on national television Sunday night, the Ukrainian presidential adviserMykhailo Podolyak said, "Reznikov was extremely efficient in terms of communication with our partners. And this is a very important component in this case."

During wartime, the defence minister fostered ties with Western defence officials and also monitored the receipt of military aid worth billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight the Moscow invasion.

Podolyak stated that the "wonderful" personal relations of Reznikov with allies have helped the country receive military supplies.

"Negotiations are not just mathematical formulae but also personal relationships. And trust. Unfortunately, today we are losing a measure of trust in us," Podolyak added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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