Zelenskyy: Defence minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week

“I believe that the Ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society at large," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is replacing his defence minister (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP/PA)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that defence minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week with Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar politician.

“I have decided to replace the Minister of Defence of Ukraine,” he said on his official Telegram account.

“Oleksiy Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of full-scale war.

“I believe that the Ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society at large.

“Now Rustem Umerov should lead the Ministry.”

Mr Umerov, 41, a politician with the opposition Holos party, has served as head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine since September 2022.

He was involved in the exchange of prisoners of war, political prisoners, children and civilians, as well as the evacuation of civilians from occupied territories.

Mr Umerov was also part of the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations with Russia over the UN-backed grain deal.