Ukraine spends around $100 million of state funds daily to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale war, soon-to-be former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told state-run media outlet Ukrinform.
According to Reznikov, supplies from volunteer organizations amount to only 3% of all the equipment that has reached the front lines since Feb. 24, 2022.
“Therefore, it is unfair to claim…. that everything is done by volunteers,” the official said when asked about the allegedly small amount of drones provided to soldiers by the state.
“Actually, this is done by working citizens of Ukraine because they pay taxes to the budget, and from this budget, the money also goes to the army.”
In the interview, published on Sept. 4, Reznikov said he couldn’t reveal how many contracts the Defense Ministry had concluded with Ukrainian drone producers.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
What can be publicly announced is that 30 new models of Ukrainian drones have been recently approved for operation, he told Ukrinform.
“The level of their production will depend on the manufacturers themselves. Everything they can produce will be ours. We will buy everything from them with state funds.”
Earlier the same day, Reznikov submitted his resignation to the Ukrainian parliament and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that the parliament’s Defense Committee supported Reznikov’s resignation.
On Sept. 3, Zelensky publicly announced his decision to dismiss the defense minister and replace him with 41-year-old Rustem Umerov, the chairman of the State Property Fund of Ukraine.
Reznikov's dismissal followed several scandals within the Defense Ministry brought to light by Ukrainian media, particularly involving the procurement of equipment and supplies for Ukrainian soldiers.
