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Ukraine is set to replace Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov with the head of its military intelligence agency, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday, in a reshuffle at the front of Ukraine’s war campaign.
Reznikov will be moved to another ministerial post and replaced by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the GUR military intelligence agency, said David Arakhamia, a senior lawmaker and head of the Servant of the People parliamentary bloc.
Budanov, 37, is an enigmatic intelligence operative decorated for his role in covert operations who quickly rose through the ranks to head Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.
“War dictates changes in personnel policy,” Arakhamia said on the Telegram messaging app.
He said that Ukraine’s “army” institutions – like the defense ministry – should not be headed by politicians, but by career defense or security officials.
Arahamia did not say when the move would be formalized. There was no immediate comment from Reznikov.
Asked earlier at a press conference about media reports about a possible exit from the ministry, the defense minister told reporters that any decision rests with Zelenskyy.
The search for survivors in Kramatorsk continues after a Russian attack killed at least three civilians. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hosted EU officials and lobbied for more military support from international partners.
Reznikov, 56, became defense minister in November 2021, just months before Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
During the war, he developed ties with Western defense officials and helped oversee the receipt of billions of dollars in military aid – including rocket launchers and tanks – to help Kyiv fight off a Russian invasion.
As defense minister during the war, Reznikov chose Ukraine’s “de facto” integration into the NATO military alliance as a top priority, even though joining the bloc was not immediately possible.
During his tenure as defense minister, he spoke highly of wartime corruption, which he called “marauding”.
But in recent weeks, the defense ministry itself has been embroiled in a corruption scandal over an army food contract that will pay exorbitant prices.
One deputy minister has been fired and named as a suspect in the scandal, and another has resigned separately.
Arahamia said that Reznikov will be the minister of strategic industries.
His exit from the defense ministry would be the most senior government change in a series of resignations and sackings following a corruption scandal late last month.
The shakeup coincides with Ukrainian fears that Russia is planning a new attack this month. Ukraine is planning its own counterattack but is waiting for supplies of battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
Reznikov hosted a press conference on Friday afternoon, where he said that Ukraine is expected to attack the main Russian this month, but Kyiv has the resources to keep them at bay.
He also said that his ministry’s anti-corruption department needs to be overhauled and is not doing what it should be doing.
Fierce fighting in Donetsk
The news of the cabinet shuffle comes as fierce fighting is raging in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region as Russia intensifies pressure ahead of the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said on Friday.
“It is very difficult in the Donetsk region – the war is fierce,” Zelenskyy said in a nightly video address. “But no matter how difficult it is and how much pressure there is, we have to endure… We have no alternative to defend ourselves and win.”
Russia, he said, is applying more pressure to “compensate for the defeat of a year ago. We see that in various front sectors and also pressure in terms of information.”
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