Change at the head of this strategic ministry. The head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov recovers the defense portfolio in Ukraine, while the authorities expect a major offensive by Russian troops whose pressure is currently increasing in the east. He replaces Oleksiï Reznikov, 56. His departure comes at a time when “the very difficult situation in the (eastern) region of Donetsk, (where) there are fierce battles”, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in the evening.
Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov will replace Oleksiï Reznikov as defense minister in the face of mounting Russian pressure in the east and after corruption scandals, a Ukrainian MP announced on Sunday evening. Aged 37, “Kyrylo Budanov is going to lead the Defense Ministry, which absolutely makes sense in times of war,” said MP David Arakhamia, leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People parliamentary group. Oleksiï Reznikov, 56, will be appointed Minister of Strategic Industries, added the elected official, without specifying the planned date of this cabinet reshuffle.
“War dictates the movement of personnel,” explained the MP. “The times and the circumstances call for reinforcement and concentration. This is what is happening now and it will continue in the future”. “The enemy is preparing to advance. We are preparing to defend ourselves,” he said. Kyrylo Reznikov, one of the most well-known figures in the war in Ukraine, was appointed Minister of Defense in November 2021 and helped to enable the supply of Western weapons to Ukrainian forces. But his ministry has been marred by corruption scandals.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country is ready to provide necessary assistance to Turkey following the earthquake that hit the country earlier on Monday.
“Shocked by the news of the death and injuries of hundreds of people as a result of the earthquake in Turkey, Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted. I offer my condolences to President Erdoğan, the Turkish people and the families of those who lost their life during the earthquake in Turkey and wish a speedy recovery to all injured. We stand with the Turkish people in this difficult time. We are ready to provide the necessary assistance to overcome the consequences of the disaster.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Iraq on Sunday evening to meet Iraqi leaders and discuss energy and food security in particular in the light of the conflict in Ukraine, said the spokesman for Iraqi diplomacy. Sergei Lavrov landed in Baghdad on Sunday evening, leading a large delegation including representatives of “oil and gas companies and investors”, Iraqi diplomatic spokesman Ahmed al-Sahhaf told AFP. .
He will meet his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein on Monday morning, said Ahmed al-Sahhaf, quoted by the state news agency INA. He will meet with Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani, President Abdel Latif Rachid, and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed al-Halboussi. The visit “confirms Iraq’s openness to all its partners and friends”, said Ahmed al-Sahhaf, stressing the importance “of attracting investments […] particularly in energy”, according to INA.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand shared an image of the first Leopard tank donated by Canada arriving in Poland. “The first Canadian Leopard 2 main battle tank that we donated to Ukraine has now arrived in Poland,” said Anita Anand. “Alongside our allies, we will soon train the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the use of this equipment.”
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, worked for the Russian intelligence services during a stay in Switzerland in the 1970s, according to two Swiss newspapers, citing declassified archives. According to the daily Morning Sunday and the Sonntagszeitungthe file drawn up by the federal police on the man who is today the spiritual leader of the Russian Orthodox Church “confirms that Monsignor Kirill, as it is called in this document, belongs to the KGB”, the foreign intelligence service of the time of the Soviet Union.
The two media were able to consult the file with the Swiss federal archives. In the early 1970s, the Patriarch, who fervently supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was living in Geneva to officially represent the Moscow Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches (WCC). The mission of Kirill, whose code name was “Mikhailov”, was also to influence this council, infiltrated by the KGB in the 70s and 80s.
