(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . UKRAINE: Reznikov sacked. First Jewish President appoints first Muslim Defence Minister. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-09-04 Apart from some mentions in news aggregator diaries and various comments, I have not seen an independent diary on DK that deals with the sacking of Oleksii Reznikov as the Ukrainian Minister of Defence. If I am mistaken, which wouldn't be surprising given the abysmal performance of the search function on DK, I apologize in advance for any duplication. The straw that likely broke the camel's back for Zelenskyy was the recent scandal involving the purchase of winter clothing for $33 million in Turkey, which turned out to be summer clothing made of inferior fabric and declared at highly inflated values in the customs documents. If you haven’t followed the ins and outs of this story, I highly recommend reading up on all the dirty details. In January, it was already revealed that the Ministry of Defence, under the close associates of the minister, had entered into a food supply contract worth approximately 340 million euros at significantly inflated prices. At that time, Reznikov dismissed these allegations as a false story spread to undermine the confidence of the allied partners, but they were later confirmed. Similar reports spoke of subpar or undelivered fragmentation vests, helmets, and even weapons. First-aid kits were reportedly not initially procured, and those donated through international aid were not tested for their usability on the battlefield. Reznikov, as an internationally well-connected former top-notch lawyer, was undoubtedly useful for a long time in maximizing assistance and weapons deliveries from the international community. However, at some point, the damage caused became too great, and the domestic outrage could no longer be ignored. Therefore, Zelenskyy had no choice but to finally dismiss him in the end. A risky affair in the midst of war, as a change in leadership is always associated with uncertainties and disruptions that could ultimately weaken the fighting capacity of the armed forces, which could have disastrous consequences at this stage of the counteroffensive. At this time there are no allegations that Reznikov personally benefited from the corrupt acts of his subordinates, so it’s only logical to use him at a new post where he can put his international connections to the best use of his country and on the other hand is not involved in procurement decisions any longer. As an ambassador tho the UK he probably can even deepen the ties to one of its closest western ally and help getting Ukraine more of the technology it so desperately needs to win this war. Personally, I believe that Zelenskyy has killed two birds with one stone with this move. On one hand, he is getting rid of a whole group of people who have tried to enrich themselves personally, as Reznikov's closest confidants surely also will be shown the door. On the other hand, he has chosen a successor whom I believe can and will fulfill multiple roles. His successor, Rustem Umierov, as far as I know, has no military experience, but as a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team he already had to deal with the Russians in March 2022. He received a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in finance and spent one year as an exchange student in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, a borough 60 miles north of Philadelphia, so he is certainly well versed in Western culture. Coming from a family of Crimean Tatars he is the first Muslim to serve as Ukrainian defence minister and getting appointed to his post by the first Jewish President of Ukraine is a constellation like no other. As a politician he is a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the Holos (“Voice”) party, which is the party with the least members who overcame the 5% barrier and is in opposition to the pro-presidential party “Servant of the People”. So choosing a member of an opposition party as one of his ministers without needing the support of this party is also a thing that does not happen every day. But now to the subject of why I think this move by Zelenskyy is genius: Umierov co-chairs the groups for inter-parliamentary relations with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. He speaks Turkish, which surely won’t hurt when negotiating with Erdogan and his former connections to the Saudis may even earn him some bonus points with MBS (which is short hand for “Mister Bone Saw”) and get Ukraine if not military support, then at least economic aid. On 06/30/21 he wrote in an opinion piece about a law introducing the rights of indigenous people: The history of my family comes from Crimea. My grandfathers were the first of the Crimean Tatars of Alushta who studied in the first Crimean Tatar school and knew Russian. After school, Seyt-Ibraim's grandfather worked as a scribe, and then became the head of the Alushta village. Later, he engaged in international trade and even opened one of the first cafes in Alushta. The second great-grandfather of Amet Mustafa was imam-hatib of the first Alushta mosque in the 18th century. In modern language, this is a consultant on legal issues. The Crimean Tatars in Crimea have experienced a lot - several immigrations after the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 1783, deportations in 1944, dispossession by the Soviet authorities. We have been experiencing the temporary occupation of our lands for the eighth hour. The entire history of the Crimean Tatar people is concentrated in Crimea. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Crimean Tatars were one of the most active pro-Ukrainian forces on the peninsula. For example, even now, of the more than a hundred political prisoners illegally arrested by the occupier today, two-thirds are Crimean Tatars. … Today, more than 350,000 Crimean Tatars live in Ukraine. Most of them stayed to live in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Every day, the Kremlin continues its policy of repression and intimidation of the Crimean Tatars. Only in the first quarter of 2021, Russian security forces detained 146 people in Crimea, most of them Crimean Tatars. More than 100 citizens of Ukraine, most of them Crimean Tatars, are still illegally imprisoned in Russian prisons. Russia spreads propaganda and stereotypes about the Crimean Tatars, making them extremists and terrorists. It prohibits communication in the Crimean Tatar language, publishing national media, prohibits religious activities and persecutes independent mass media. For example, a few days ago the political prisoner Servet Gaziyev was taken out of the courtroom only because he spoke in the Crimean Tatar language. Against the background of such a systematic destruction of the Crimean Tatar people, the Crimean Tatars need state support from Ukraine. By appointing a Crimean Tatar with a family history like Umierov’s, Zelensky is probably sending the strongest signal to Russia that he never will back down from the fact that “Crimea is Ukraine”. Here’s to hope that Umierov will get the support of the armed forces of Ukraine and of their commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/4/2191435/-UKRAINE-Reznikov-sacked-First-Jewish-President-appoints-first-Muslim-Defence-Minister Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/