Reznikov on way out. Who will be Ukraine’s new Defense Minister?

The first time this was discussed was in early March, when a scandal broke out over the purchase of eggs at 17 hryvnias a piece. At that time, the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, was actively wooed for the post of defense minister. Fortunately, however, the latter remained in his old job and did not go to count potatoes and shells.

“Should we be afraid of the Defense Minister's resignation in times of war? In the days before a full-scale war, no one would have remembered his name in a week. Moreover, a number of former heads of the Ministry either went abroad, lay low, or fled to Russia, without bearing any responsibility for the sale of critical military property.”

When Oleksii Reznikov took over the Defense Ministry from Andriy Taran in October 2021, many breathed a sigh of relief. Against the backdrop of a sad government official in a dermantine who had failed several state defense contracts in a row and disbanded the Reform Project Office at the Defense Ministry because "NATO is not for us and not in time," Reznikov was greeted with relief and hope. 

If we look back at the official's professional biography, he is a top lawyer and became known throughout the country when he defended in court the need for a third round of the 2004 presidential election after the Orange Revolution. This court proved the election fraud by Viktor Yanukovych's team. And returned Ukraine to the democratic track.

He became Minister of Defense in November 2021, less than four months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is likely that in times of relative calm, he would have been a more effective manager. However, the challenges of wartime and the grip of political constraint have turned Reznikov into a toxic figure. And most importantly, according to Ukrainian law, the Minister of Defense is a quota of the Ukrainian President. And the eight deputies are also appointed by Bankova Street, so anyone who wants to take the post of minister must be able to walk the tightrope between the needs of war and political loyalty.

So now there are certain reviews of candidates. You could see how some politicians (for example, Iryna Vereshchuk) are already actively pumping the media with the thesis that "a woman should become the Minister of Defense."

Vereshchuk herself is already saying quite seriously that she will fulfill any will of the president. And in an interview with Radio Liberty, she was more than frank:

"I will fulfill any will of the president and the government. Because in wartime, there is no "I don't want to" or "I agree, I disagree". I am a military person, so I know exactly what an order is and what an instruction is. But I see myself more where I am now..."

However, the clouds over the Ministry of Defense are gathering more and more, and gender equality alone cannot solve them.

Just look at the information from the Anti-Corruption Action Center and Vitaliy Shabunin that the Ministry of Defense spent UAH 36.3 billion on weapons and supplies that were never delivered.

“This is the so-called overdue receivables. This is when a customer, namely the Ministry of Defense, pays money to a supplier, but does not receive the promised goods within the timeframe specified in the contract. That is, these are weapons and things that the Ukrainian military have not seen, even though taxpayers' money has been spent on them.”

If we compare this in numbers, it is 9 times more than the amount raised by the Serhiy Prytula Foundation in 2022.

Interestingly, it's not evil activists or bad journalists manipulating again. There is an official response from the Ministry of Finance.

“And while there are no sensible comments on this information, where did these funds go? And why the weapons did not arrive at the front in time - let's compare what could have been bought. For example, it is about 200 thousand FPV drones. Conventionally, one drone per head of the occupier. However, there is nothing similar.”

Moreover, private initiatives are training UAV operators, and volunteers are raising funds for this. And recently, the Minister of Digital Transformation Fedorov and volunteers have been supplying drones and training UAV operators. Why? Because it is obvious that the Defense Ministry is not doing this. Similarly, the lion's share of logistics and other issues is handled by the Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine, Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov. By the way, he is also being actively wooed for the post of the new head of the Defense Ministry, but he is seriously considering it, because this is how you can lose your political subjectivity and a chance for political life after the change of government.

“So when Bankova finally selects Reznikov's successor, I would like to hear a report on his work. I would also like to see an explanation of the inefficient procurement of tens of billions of hryvnias, which is a real sabotage that reduces the state's defense capability. Or who is the menagerie of people who have become deputy ministers and often take over Reznikov's powers.”

All of this is worth hearing before Oleksii Reznikov gets an indulgence in the form of being sent away as an ambassador. For some reason, it has become a good tradition to hide behind a diplomat's credentials after failing to gain any position in Ukraine. And to ruin what was sacred and professional until recently - to look for sane people to be ambassadors, for whom there is no shame. And who will not be denied agrement because they are too toxic and corrupt.

Specially for Espreso

About the author: Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of blogs.