Recently, People's Deputy David Arakhamia wrote about the possible resignation of Alexei Reznikov, but later said that there would be no changes. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine commented on this story.
It should also be noted that Arakhamia wrote that the current head of intelligence, Kirill Budanov, could become his likely successor in office. However, later Reznikov said that he would remain in office in the coming months, channel 24 informs.
What Reznikov said about the story of his resignation and its cancellation
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, in an interview with Babel, commented on the version that the story of his resignation and its cancellation is a visible part of the conflict between David Arakhamia and Andriy Yermak.
Aleksey Reznikov said that he believes that this story started from some and was picked up by other beneficiaries. According to the minister:
- when he took office, he found out that one company had been feeding the army for 3 years in a row. This is very dangerous, because it could go bankrupt, the Russians could buy it or something else;
- so he set about demonopolization. Although it was not easy, because there were attempts to resist from various forces – from political to semi-gangster;
- the ministry succeeded – in 2022 they fed the army: at first there were 5 companies, and now there are already 8.
There were many dissatisfied, and the start was just somewhere from there, and then different beneficiaries have already picked it up. I'm not the Mona Lisa and I can't please everyone. There are people whom I call “personal”. Which, against the backdrop of a political anti-corruption career, wake up and fall asleep with my last name,” Reznikov said.
To a direct question from a journalist whether the minister was hinting at Vitaly Shabunin, he answered: “On one serviceman of the Territorial Defense Forces, a driver. Who in some strange way came up with a business trip to the Ministry of Defense and hid in the Innovation Center of the Ministry of Defense, where he continued his wrestling career. It was found out, he was sent back to the terrorist defense to serve.This is some kind of revenge on me personally, he made a message on Facebook, where he says goodbye to his brothers and sisters, because he is in a heavy boiler, but in fact in a warm and safe place. I have a question – where does the fighter serve?
The Minister of Defense also answered the journalist's questions that, according to Shabunin, the Anti-Corruption Action Center contacted him several times, but they were always playing football.
That's not true, to say the least. Let them then show an appeal to the Minister of Defense. Moreover, my phone number is available and I answer everyone, Reznikov assured.
The minister also commented on the issues of carcasses for the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Ternopil Meat Processing Plant. She, according to the fighters, is inedible. “We'll figure it out, but I deliberately asked several people who created the Prozorro system to assess the situation (with food in the army – Channel 24), and even made an offer to one as a potential deputy minister for procurement,” the minister said.
He also said that this man had horizontal connections with the military and he said that it was not worth suggesting that he go to the deputy, because he called the acquaintances of the military, who said that everything was fine with them and asked not to touch anything.
“But I do not rule out problems with individual food chiefs, there is such a thing,” Alexey Reznikov said.
Regarding the fact that Budanov was named his successor, the minister replied: “We both had good relations, and He is a professional in his field.”
What Shabunin replied to “Babel”
Vitaliy Shabunin said that on February 25, 2022, he really joined the terrorist defense of Kyiv. After the end of the Kyiv operation, he issued a business trip to the Innovation Center of the Ministry of Defense. According to him, it was easier to arrange a business trip than to transfer there. In this case, the decision of the minister and the General Staff was required. Shabunin claims that: – the business trip was canceled after a call at that time by Deputy Minister Sergei Gaiduk to the head of the Innovation Center; – now he serves in the 207th battalion of the 241st troop brigade, but is not physically in the battalion. Officially, he is a marksman; – according to the appeals of the CPC to the Ministry of Defense, they were at the level of negotiations and correspondence between the executive director Daria Kaleniuk and Reznikov's deputies and concerned the deployment of logistics systems, audit and the supply of weapons to Ukraine; – there were no official appeals to the Ministry of Defense; – he was removed from the Innovation Center due to the fact that the CPC demanded that Reznikov introduce the Karavay system – a program for accounting and logistics of military equipment, or any (at the choice of the Ministry of Defense) IT system for logistics and warehouse accounting.
What else did Shabunin say
Vitaly Shabunin, Chairman of the Board of the Anti-Corruption Center NGO, in response to the words of the Minister of Defense about the above-mentioned message on Facebook, said that there was no such message.
At the same time, a month after publication of the investigation, Reznikov never made public (although he promised) neither revised contracts nor invoices confirming the reduction in some places of inflated prices, Shabunin said.
The head of the board of the CPC also stated that:
- “the minister's office continues to feed at inflated prices”;
- he doesn't waste time taking revenge on the people who burned down his house and threw grenades under the door of his mother's and his wife's parents' apartment;
- he has and will have time: “Show the criminal (non-)activity of any minister of defense, because the survival of both the country and many people who desperately defend it depend on it.”
Pay attention! The scandal in the Ministry of Defense erupted after the publication of the press about the purchase of products at inflated prices. All that is known about this – read behind the link.
