Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced Tuesday the replacement of his two deputy ministers, Ivan Rusnak and Oleg Haiduk, as part of a «restructuring» of the portfolio triggered by the latest allegations of corruption related to the supply of supplies to troops in the framework of the invasion of Russia.
Reznikov said Rusnak and Haiduk «will remain in the ministry team and will be involved in the work as advisors,» before thanking them for «their work in the most difficult days.» «As advisors, they will focus on priority projects that require the full involvement of their experience and competence,» he said.
«These are not the last steps in the restructuring of the Ministry of Defense. The next changes will strengthen the team and will be presented in the coming days,» he said through a series of messages on his account on the social network Facebook, in which he added that Oleksander Pavliuk has already been nominated for the post of deputy defense minister.
«General Pavliuk is perfectly familiar with the issues of modern warfare and the needs of our Army and has the necessary leadership and management skills. There will be more synergy in interactions with the General Staff of the Armed Forces,» he has explained.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski dismissed in January dozens of people – including governors, deputy ministers and his deputy advisor – following several scandals within the Defense Ministry and the arrest of a deputy minister for allegedly taking bribes. He also stressed that «all internal issues that hinder the State are being eliminated and will continue to be eliminated».
Ukraine has been the scene in the past of numerous corruption cases and Transparency International ranked it 122nd out of 180 in 2021 in its corruption perception survey. The fight against these crimes is also one of the key demands of the European Union (EU) in the framework of the process for its possible accession to the bloc, something firmly rejected by Russia.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
