The Defense Minister Rustem Umerov gave a two-hour interview to the Left Bank publication. We retell the key points

Author:
Oksana Kovalenko
Editor:
Glib Gusiev
Date:
The Defense Minister Rustem Umerov gave a two-hour interview to the Left Bank publication. We retell the key points

Getty Images / «Babel'»

The Defense Minister Rustem Umerov gave his 1st interview in a year to the "Left Bank" publication. The conversation lasted two hours. He talked about Ukraineʼs dependence on Western partners, the production of Ukrainian weapons, the construction of fortifications, relations with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, the appointment of Kyrylo Tymoshenko as an adviser to the Minister of Defense. We retell the key points of the interview.

We have a three-year plan for the production of drones, electronic warfare systems, ground-based robotic systems (GBRSs) and missiles: how much we can produce and how much money is needed for this. During recent trips to the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany and at the Ramstein meeting, I presented this plan to partners. There are several countries that have already agreed to finance the production of our drones and missiles.

The Ministry is improving the system of rotation and rest of the military. It is not perfect, but it is. Previously, mobilization focused on quantitative parameters, and now qualitative ones are needed.

We are 80% dependent on our partners. We meet every day in a bilateral format with the European Union, NATO, SAG-U, EUCOM, the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany and a dozen other countries.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko joined the team because no one wanted to work in the communications department of the Ministry of Defense. It is necessary to build a one voice policy of the Defense Forces. There are many services, many commanders. And everyone has their own opinion. Tymoshenko was recommended by his colleagues and called a "cool specialist". I asked the anti-corruption officers if he was a professional. They said “yes”. If I only invite everyone in a white coat... I knew him not very good, but I came to him and said:

"Kyrylo, we have these goals. Will you be able to take this level?"

"Yes," he said.

I asked other professionals whether communication had improved (already after Tymoshenkoʼs appointment). They said “yes”. I asked Kyrylo if he had any questions from law enforcement or anti-corruption agencies. He said that the The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has no questions to him.

Tymoshenko does not deal with fortifications.

"You have many competitors, many haters. You should not deal with this point. If I turn [to you], then you should help. As long as I did not, please donʼt," I said to him.

The head of the region Ivan Fedorov reported about the fortifications in the Zaporizhzhia region during an interview:

"The basic package of fortifications of the region was built in the summer. Now we are building the defense of the cities, in particular Zaporizhzhia, Vilnyansk, the number of strongholds will be approximately doubled."

If there are no fortifications outside Pokrovsk, then there are those to blame. At the moment, the Donetsk Regional Military Administration has appealed to the Ministry, we are helping them — we have sent people, our guys are working there. We completed everything [that was supposed to be built according to the plan] in the Sumy region.

The Ministry of Defense plans to unite all agencies for procurement, logistics, as well as the yet to be created agency for the procurement of drones, into one structure. How it will function is currently being decided.

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