Zelenskyy to remove Defence Minister Reznikov as battle in east Ukraine gets 'tough'

The war between Russia and Ukraine is slowly moving closer to completing one full year and the latest development suggests that embattled Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is likely to dismiss Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov soon.

As of now, there has been no official announcement by the President's office, but reports suggest that Reznikov will be replaced by Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency HUR.

When asked whether he knew about this development, Reznikov rejected all such claims and said he had not had any conversations with the country's leadership over his resignation. "I have not had any conversations about my resignation from this position," he told the Kyiv Independent, citing Ukrainska Pravda.

Ukraine's military chief to replace Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov

Reports suggest that Reznikov could be appointed to a new post as Justice Minister, as "no one in the Presidential Office has any doubt", according to the Ukrainska Pravda. Denys Maliuska, the current Justice Minister, could be appointed as an ambassador to a Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Europe. However, it is not clear who will be the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency if Budanov is appointed as Defence Minister.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy on Saturday, February 6, warned that the war on the eastern side was "getting tougher" and Ukrainian and Russian troops continued to fight to capture the fortress city of Bakhmut. During his daily nightly address, the embattled president said Russia's Defence Ministry is throwing "more and more troops into battle" to break the Ukrainian defences.

"I’ve often had to say the situation at the front is tough and is getting tougher, and it’s that time again." "The invader is putting more and more of his forces into breaking down our defences," Zelenskyy said in a video address.

"It is very difficult now in Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Lyman, and other directions," he added.

Image: AP