As the undermanned, underequipped, and outmaneuvered Ukrainian frontline formations crumble, embattled President Volodymyr Zelensky places all his bets on long-distance strikes deep into Russian territory, and it seems that the reshuffle in his administration is far from over.
Next in line for replacement, Ukrainian media suggests, are two familiar faces: Rustem Umerov and Kirill Budanov.
There’s speculation in the US media that the reason for their dismissal was because they fell out of favor with Zelensky’s ‘grey eminence,’ the power behind the throne, Presidential office chief Andryi Yermak.
RBC reported:
“The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, as well as the head of the defense department, Rustem Umerov, may be dismissed, [Ukrainian paper] Strana reports, citing sources.”
The head of the Budanov GUR may be replaced by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Oleg Ivaschenko, writes Strana.
As for Defense Minister Umerov, it is unclear who will take his place.
The Ukrainian leadership have reportedly already been secretly discussing candidates for their possible successors.
“‘There are rumors that the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleg Ivaschenko, Budanov’s former deputy, may return to the ‘island’ as the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, and the current Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, may be appointed head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. The question of who will take Umerov’s place remains open’, the source told the publication.”
This week, Umerov fired two of Budanov’s deputies – Viktor Zaitsev and Igor Ostapenko.
According to sources of “Ukrainian Truth” and the publication Babel, this was done without the consent or knowledhe of Budanov.
The information was reportedly confirmed by sources of “Strana”.
“‘The decision was made last week. The fact is that there is serious tension between Budanov and the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak. Budanov is one of the few remaining influential people in the inner circle of [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky who are an alternative to Yermak’, one of the sources told Strana.”
Bothe officials became high-profile figures during the war. Budanov has headed the Main Intelligence Directorate since August 2020, and Umerov became the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in September 2023.
“Bloomberg also wrote earlier about the growing concentration of power in the Ukrainian president’s office under Yermak. According to the agency, this is causing concern among Ukraine’s partners in the West. According to Politico, the former head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Dmytro Kuleba, was dismissed from his post because he irritated Yermak.”
This month, Zelensky carried out a major reshuffle of the Ukrainian government. He attributed the personnel changes to the ‘extremely important’ autumn season, without entering into details.
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