Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has become increasingly displeased with the work of military intelligence head Kirill Budanov and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and could replace them in the coming weeks, several outlets in Kiev have said.
Forbes Ukraine was the first to report the rumors, citing an official inside the presidential cabinet and two lawmakers on the defense committee of the Verkhovna Rada. As the main reason for the proposed personnel changes, they listed the “growing challenges at the front.”
Discussions about Budanov’s sacking have been going on for at least a month, according to Forbes’s sources. The head of the military intelligence service HUR reportedly has “strained relations” with Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrey Yermak and General Aleksandr Syrsky, the supreme commander of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Budanov has allegedly carried out some operations on his own, without informing Syrsky or coordinating with the General Staff, which has endangered some units at the front. Zelensky was also said to be unhappy with several failed HUR operations, though the sources did not specify which ones.
Yermak, who several Ukrainians have described to Western media as the real power in Kiev, appears not to like Budanov. His sentiment is shared by others in Kiev “who have pull with the media and the support of partners,” according to Forbes. Yermak has reportedly accused the HUR chief of spreading defeatism by discussing terms on which the conflict with Russia might end.
Umerov was appointed in September last year to replace Aleksey Reznikov. According to the Ukrainian media, he has not delivered on the reforms Zelensky has demanded regarding military procurement and modernization, or ensured stability inside the ministry.
While the firings might not be imminent, the issue is reportedly becoming “increasingly urgent.” Earlier this week, Russian forces liberated the town of Ugledar in the south of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which Ukraine had turned into a fortification that anchored a significant portion of the front line.
Russian troops have also advanced in every theater, while the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region has failed to achieve any of the objectives Syrsky stated publicly.