https://twitter.com/grandoldmemes/status/1621556379004567566?s=20&t=KT6KGzd7E8wEdA9I20G_Ug
5 Feb, 2023 22:13
Ukraine to replace Defense Minister – lawmaker
Alexey Reznikov is expected to be reassigned following a corruption scandal within the military
Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov will be relieved of his duties and instead appointed minister for strategic industries, according to David Arakhamia, who heads the parliamentary faction of President Vladimir Zelensky’s political party. The planned reshuffle follows multiple corruption scandals and resignations by other officials, including Reznikov’s deputy.
The chief of the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Kirill Budanov, “will head the defense ministry, which is absolutely logical in wartime,” Arakhamia announced in a Telegram post on Sunday night.
The head of the ruling parliamentary faction did not offer a timeline, but according to RBC-Ukraine news agency’s sources, the parliament is expected to finalize the reshuffle during the next session.
Asked about his rumored dismissal on Sunday, Reznikov said that it was up to President Zelensky to decide his fate, but he was “ready for anything” and his conscience was “absolutely clear.”
Multiple senior Ukrainian officials have resigned or have been fired in recent weeks, with an alleged graft scandal affecting the Defense Ministry as well. According to a Ukrainian media investigation published last month, various foodstuffs for the military ended up costing several times more than average retail prices.
Reznikov has rejected the allegations, stating that the documents cited in the investigation were inaccurate and some prices ended up inflated due to a “technical error.” However, deputy defense minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who was in charge of logistics, nevertheless took the fall and was dismissed on January 24.
The situation also threatened Reznikov, one of the most prominent faces in the Ukrainian defense apparatus, but the profile committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decided to keep him in office at the time.
Arakhamia claimed on Sunday that Reznikov is the most “logical” candidate to head the Ministry of Strategic Industries, given his “expertise” in securing Western military aid at Ramstein meetings and directing the endless flow of weaponry for the Ukrainian army.
Reznikov, however, said had to be some kind of “mistake”as he heard nothing about the alleged new appointment, and would reject the offer even if it came from the president himself, arguing he is not qualified for the job, according to ICTV Facts.
Kiev’s top military intelligence official, Budanov, tapped to become the new defense chief, isbest known for his repeated veiled threats of more strikes and terrorist attacks deeper in the Russianterritory, while refusing to neither confirm nor deny Ukraine’s responsibility for previous strikes inside Russia. Back in October, Russia’s FSB security service called Budanov a suspected mastermind behind the car bombing attack on the Crimea Bridge, which killed three people
https://www.rt.com/russia/571008-ukraine-defense-minister-reznikov/
5 Feb, 2023 21:53
Ukraine sanctions Russian nuclear industry
Kiev has blacklisted more than 200 entities for 50 years
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has introduced sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry, President Vladimir Zelensky said in a statement on Sunday. The list of entities subjected to restrictions by Kiev includes Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom as well as a company operating the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) – Europe’s biggest nuclear power station.
Zelensky accused the Russian troops of shelling nuclear power stations in Ukraine and using them as “cover” for strikes.
“These are sufficient reasons for the Russian nuclear industry to be subjected to global sanctions,” he said. The president issued a decree on Sunday, which blacklisted a total of 200 entities for a period of 50 years.
The ZNPP once belonged to Ukraine but fell under Russian control in the spring of 2022. It is located in the Zaporozhye region, which formally joined Russia in autumn 2022 following a referendum, together with three other former Ukrainian territories, including the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Kherson Region.
The plant had been repeatedly subjected to artillery shelling and suicide drone attacks over the past year as Moscow and Kiev traded blame over the incidents.
Moscow insists the damage to the facility is attributable to Kiev’s forces, whileUkraine has claimed that Russia, for unnamed reasons, has itself been targeting the site it controls. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has only established that attacks on the plant have been occurring but has demurred from assigning blame to any party.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571007-ukraine-russia-nuclear-industry-sanctions/