The overhaul is meant to curb undue “external and internal influence,” Rustam Umerov has said
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam Umerov has sacked four of his deputies, citing unacceptable “attempts of influence” on his department.
The announcement on Tuesday morning comes amid rumors that Umerov himself may lose his job over a reported conflict with Andrey Yermak, the powerful head of the presidential administration.
Explaining his decision, Umerov described the Defense Ministry as a “closed perimeter” that must work without external interference. The four officials dismissed are Stanislav Gayder, Aleksandr Sergiy, Yury Dzhigir, and Lydmila Daragan.
Gayder was appointed deputy last October and supervised institutional development issues in the ministry. He previously served in the national anti-corruption agency and will now move to another position in the Defense Ministry to serve as Umerov’s chief of staff.
Sergiy is a military engineer by background who has been a logistics specialist at the Defense Ministry since July. Dzhigir formerly worked in the Finance Ministry and was appointed deputy defense minister in September 2023, when Umerov took over the ministry from his predecessor, Aleksey Reznikov.
Daragan served as Umerov’s deputy when he headed Ukraine’s State Assets Agency, and moved to the Defense Ministry with her boss.
In addition to personnel changes, Umerov announced reforms in the state-owned company responsible for international arms trade and the ministry’s departments for logistics and procurement.
The overhaul comes amid rumors of growing tensions between Yermak and senior military officials, including Umerov and Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence. The speculation was triggered by last week’s firing of two of Budanov’s deputies, which Umerov reportedly ordered without consulting with the spy chief. Sources cited by news outlets claimed that Umerov could keep his job by sacrificing some of his deputies.
Reznikov resigned as Ukrainian defense minister after a failed attempt to make territorial gains on the battlefield during last year’s ‘counteroffensive’ against Russia. His departure also followed a series of corruption scandals in the ministry.
Last week, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky traveled to the US to promote his ‘victory plan’ against Russia. The proposal reportedly left the American leadership unimpressed, with no major policy changes announced. Zelensky’s aims are said to have included seeking “Trump-proof” military assistance, NATO-type security guarantees, and permission to strike targets deep inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range weapons.
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