Rustem Umerov: Who is Ukraine's next defence minister?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's determination to regenerate his defence main has been seen chiefly arsenic an effort to cleanable up corruption. But the assignment of Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar and a Muslim, is simply a awesome that Ukraine is superior astir returning Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine successful 2014.

Speculations astir the replacement of Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defence curate since November 2021, person been rife for months.

While personally not accused of immoderate wrongdoing, the antheral by President Zelensky's broadside since time 1 of the Russian full-scale penetration was seen arsenic incapable to halt corruption penetrating his ministry.

Military procurement scandals and accusations of bribery against officials astatine enlistment centres made him damaged goods successful the eyes of Ukrainian society, presently successful request of a morale boost successful the aftermath of a slower than expected offensive.

This is wherever Rustem Umerov comes in.

The 41-year-old is simply a authorities authoritative who for the past twelvemonth headed Ukraine's State Property Fund, but is champion known for negotiating with Russia and for organising palmy captive exchanges.

Not a implicit chartless but not idiosyncratic successful the media spotlight either, helium is simply a Crimean Tatar calved successful exile and an progressive subordinate of this taste community, trying to reinstate its taste individuality and its spot successful the world.

Most importantly for Ukrainians, helium has not been accused of corruption, embezzlement oregon profiteering.

Mr Umerov came into authorities successful 2019 erstwhile helium ran for parliament with the reformist "Holos" party, which helium aboriginal near to go a authorities official.

Before that helium worked successful the backstage sector, archetypal successful telecoms and aboriginal successful investment.

In 2013, helium founded a foundation programme to assistance bid Ukrainians astatine the prestigious Stanford University successful the US.

But the defining portion of his individuality are his Crimean Tatar roots and the relation they tin play successful Ukraine's steadfast volition to instrumentality Crimea.

Crimean Tatars are the indigenous Turkic colonisation of the Crimean peninsula. During World War II they were falsely accused of collaboration with the Nazis and forcibly deported by the Soviet service to Central Asia.

On May 18 1944, a 200,000-strong assemblage was uprooted successful 1 time arsenic families were fixed a fewer minutes to battalion earlier being loaded onto trains to beryllium shipped disconnected thousands of kilometres away.

Thousands are thought to person perished successful transit, oregon soon afterwards.

Not the lone taste radical to acquisition specified attraction nether Joseph Stalin, the Crimean Tatars spent decades trying to instrumentality to their homeland.

Rustem Umerov's household was amongst those deported and helium was calved successful exile successful Uzbekistan. In the precocious 1980s, erstwhile helium was inactive a child, galore Crimean Tatars, including his family, were allowed to instrumentality to the peninsula.

For galore years Mr Umerov advised Mustafa Dzhemilev, the historical person of Crimean Tatars, and is himself 1 of the delegates of the Qurultay - the Crimean Tatar Congress.

He was besides co-chair of the Crimea Platform, an planetary diplomatic inaugural focused connected negotiating with Russia pursuing its 2014 concern of the peninsula.

"The deportation of Crimean Tatars is 1 of the top crimes of the Soviet regime," Umerov wrote successful a portion for Liga.net successful 2021. "It was started by the tyrants successful powerfulness astatine that clip successful bid to exterminate an full nation."

While helium attacked Russia's 2014 annexation of the Black Sea peninsula, helium besides worked towards negotiating with Moscow to escaped respective Crimean Tatars, arrested successful Crimea since 2014 and bring them to Ukraine.

Speaking to the BBC soon aft the commencement of the full-scale penetration successful 2022, Umerov said helium was determined "to find [a] governmental and diplomatic solution to this brutal invasion".

In his televised code to the federation connected Sunday, President Zelensky confirmed helium would question parliamentary support to marque Mr Umerov his caller defence minister, saying the ministry "requires caller approaches and caller modes of engagement with some the subject and nine astatine large."

For present a full-scale subject battle connected Crimea whitethorn beryllium immoderate mode off, and immoderate observers person described arsenic unrealistic Ukraine's intentions to instrumentality to its pre-2014 borders, which would see the peninsula.

But President Zelenksy's assignment of an indigenous Crimean to play a cardinal relation successful realising these intentions sends a wide message: this is Kyiv's endgame.