On Monday, the Ukrainian government terminated the appointments of six deputy defense ministers, a common practice following the installation of a new defense minister earlier this month. Although the government did not provide a specific reason for the dismissals, such actions are customary when a new minister takes office. Among those relieved of their positions was Hanna Maliar, known for frequently issuing public updates on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Rustem Umerov assumed the role of defense minister less than two weeks ago, succeeding Oleksii Reznikov. During Reznikov’s tenure, the ministry faced allegations of corruption in the media, although Reznikov himself was not implicated in any corruption charges.
In response to these changes, Umerov posted on Facebook, stating, “Rebooting. We have started. We continue. The Ministry continues to work as usual.”
According to unnamed government sources quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda news site, all the deputy ministers voluntarily resigned at Umerov’s request and will not be reinstated. Consultations are currently in progress to identify candidates to fill these vacancies, with a source close to the ministry indicating that a comprehensive overhaul of the ministry is underway.
Umerov has outlined his priorities for the ministry, including making it the primary institution for coordinating Ukrainian defense forces, emphasizing the value of individual soldiers, advancing Ukraine’s military industry, and combatting corruption.
Hanna Maliar, a war crimes lawyer, had served as a deputy defense minister since 2021 and had provided her latest update on the war in Ukraine just on Monday morning. She faced criticism last week after initially reporting that Ukrainian forces had retaken an eastern village from Russian forces but later admitted that her report was inaccurate and that fighting was still ongoing around the village. The military subsequently announced the village’s capture the following day, but Russia has since denied losing control of the area.
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