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Cabinet of Ministers appoints new First Deputy Defense Minister

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The Cabinet of Ministers dismissed Ivan Rusnak as Ukraine's First Deputy Minister of Defense and appointed Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk as his successor on Feb. 14.

Leading up to Pavlyuk's appointment, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on Feb. 13 allowing military officials to take on the role. Previous legislation indicated that only civilians and former military personnel were permitted to do so.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced on Feb. 13 that he had submitted the names of several candidates for deputy ministers that would "improve work efficiency." He also shared details about meetings with working groups within the anti-corruption advisory body under the Defense Ministry. Some of the members of these working groups include representatives from noted anti-corruption NGOs.

These personnel changes come after the Ukrainian newspaper ZN.UA published a story on Jan. 21 on how the Defense Ministry was reportedly paying two to three times as much for food for the military, citing the ministry's food procurement contract. Reznikov called the allegations false, but Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau opened an investigation on Jan. 23.

Following the outbreak of the scandal, 497 officials in Ukraine's Armed Forces and Defense Ministry were fined, and 124 faced disciplinary liability following internal audits from 2022. Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov was also later dismissed. The court arrested him for 60 days on Feb. 2.

Lawmaker David Arakhamia said on Feb. 5. that Reznikov would be replaced as Defense Minister by current Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov, but that change has not happened.

Intelligence Chief Budanov to head Defense Ministry after upcoming reshuffle
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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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By infiltrating Ukrainian positions in small infantry groups, Russia has accumulated around 200 troops within Pokrovsk, the General Staff reported. These personnel are engaging in "intense" small arms and drone clashes with Ukrainian troops in the city.

While Ukraine also lacks Western-supplied weapons, soldiers and commanders say shortages of basics — cars, drones and people — make holding back Russia extremely difficult. Even as Kyiv seeks U.S. approval for Tomahawks, they say critical, rudimentary gear is the more pressing need.

Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

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