Ukraine replaces sacked deputy defense ministers by three new ones

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Sep 2023 10:11

The Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov says the primary task of the new appointees will be to ensure "respect for the dignity of soldiers in all interactions with the state."

Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's Defense Minister addresses the media after the meeting of the 'Ukraine Defense Contact Group' at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, Tuesday, Sept.19, 2023. (AP)

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced Wednesday that the cabinet had made "Personnel changes in the Ministry of Defense" and appointed three new deputy defense ministers.

"Rebooting the Ministry and implementing qualitative changes that will be notable by our soldiers," Umerov said adding that "the Government approved three deputies: Yurii Dzhygyr — deputy for finance ... Nataliia Kalmykova — deputy for social development ... Kateryna Chernogorenko — deputy for digital development."

According to the minister, the appointees are tasked, above all else, with matters addressing Ukrainian "soldiers, their life, health and dignity," adding that the "most important task is to ensure respect for the dignity of soldiers in all interactions with the state."

Earlier, on September 18, the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers dismissed all deputy defense ministers, including Hanna Maliar, who previously reported the supposed capture of Andriivka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) by Ukrainian military forces, according to lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko on Monday.

Maliar attributed her unverified statement about Ukrainian troops gaining control of Andriivka in the DPR last week to a communication error.

"The cabinet of ministers has just fired all the deputy ministers of defense and the ministry’s secretary of state. Maliar was also fired," Goncharenko wrote on Telegram.

This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov had been sacked from his position on September 3.

Zelensky had announced that Reznikov would be replaced as he believes the ministry "needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole."