ISTANBUL

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced Tuesday that he has submitted a request to the country’s Cabinet of Ministers for the dismissal of four military officials.

Dismissals include Stanislav Haider, Oleksandr Serhiy, Yuriy Dzhygyr, and Liudmila Darahan, said the ministry's former state secretary, according to a statement posted on Facebook.

Umerov indicated that Haider will be moving to the position of the head of the Minister's Office.

“The system of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine—Armed Forces, Main Directorate of Intelligence, and State Transport Special Service—is a closed perimeter during martial law. This means that all processes inside must be clear and controlled. Any attempt to influence them, whether external or internal, is unacceptable,” Umerov stated, without elaborating on the specific reasons for their dismissal.

He also said that he would inform the public about new appointments, including those concerning his deputies.

Additionally, Umerov announced the transfer of the state-owned defense enterprise Spetstechnoexport from Ukraine's Defense Intelligence to the ministry itself.

Since assuming his role in September 2023, Umerov has emphasized that combating corruption will be his top priority while in office.