Ukraine sacks all deputy defense ministers as new chief takes helm

by Miranda Nazzaro - 09/18/23 6:57 PM ET

The national flag waves as workers install the Ukrainian coat of arms on the shield in the hand of the country's tallest stature, the Motherland Monument, after the Soviet coat of arms was removed, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023. Ukraine is accelerating efforts to erase the vestiges of centuries of Soviet and Russian influence from the public space amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine by pulling down monuments and renaming hundreds of streets to honor home-grown artists, poets, military chiefs, and independence leaders. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) — The national flag waves as workers install the Ukrainian coat of arms on the shield in the hand of the country’s tallest stature, the Motherland Monument, after the Soviet coat of arms was removed, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023. Ukraine is accelerating efforts to erase the vestiges of centuries of Soviet and Russian influence from the public space amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine by pulling down monuments and renaming hundreds of streets to honor home-grown artists, poets, military chiefs, and independence leaders. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukraine sacked its six deputy defense ministers nearly two weeks after the country’s new defense chief took the helm amid a corruption scandal in the military.

The fired deputy defense ministers include Hanna Maliar,Vitaliy Deynega and Denys Sharapov, as well as state Secretary of the Defense Ministry Kostiantyn Vashchenko, according to a Telegram post from Taras Melnychuk, the permanent representative of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Melnychuk did not explain the firings, though the shake-up comes amid the government’s investigation of accusations of corruption in the military.

Former Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov resigned earlier this month amid a corruption scandal involving the ministry’s procurement of military jackets at three times their cost. He has since been replaced with Rustem Umerov.

Umerov was appointed by the Verkhovna Rada as the chairman of Ukraine’s State Property Fund in September 2022, where he led the processes of privatization and lease in the state.

In his announcement about the replacement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he thinks the ministry “needs new approaches,” while noting Reznikov served in the position for 550 days of “full-scale war.”

The Associated Press contributed.

Tags Oleksii Reznikov russia Russia-Ukraine war Rustem Umerov ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky