Rustem Umyerow is said to be effective and a strong leader – and to tackle the many problems of his ministry. The fact that the designated Ukrainian defense minister is a Crimean Tatar is taken as a sign.
His name has been circulating in the Ukrainian media landscape for several days. Rustem Umyerov is to be appointed as the new defense minister by the Ukrainian parliament this week. He would be the first Crimean Tatar to hold this post.
The 41-year-old former MP is considered to be extremely well connected internationally, especially in Turkey. He is also considered a pleasant and clever conversationalist who has made a name for himself in Ukrainian politics through his negotiating skills – most recently in the talks between Russia and Ukraine over a grain corridor in the Black Sea blocked by Russia.
Crimean Tatars long discriminated minority
Crimean Tatar journalist Aider Mushdabayev is pleased to report that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “brought about a revolution” with his decision ARD-Interview. “If someone had told me two or three years ago that a Crimean Tatar would become Ukraine’s defense minister, I wouldn’t have believed them.”
The Crimean Tatars have long been a discriminated minority in Ukraine, but especially in the Soviet Union. This is also reflected in the biography of the new defense minister. Umerov was born in Uzbekistan in 1982. His ancestors were deported here under Stalin in 1944 as alleged traitors. All in all, Stalin had more than 200,000 Crimean Tatars deported to remote areas of Central Asia, and many did not survive the deportation in cattle cars. Today, these acts are considered genocide against the Crimean Tatars in Ukraine.
Shaded: territories occupied by Russia
“Powerful Symbol to the West”
After the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia in April 2014, the Crimean Tatars again became the focus of state repression. Many had to leave their homeland. Dozens of Crimean Tatars are still in prison as political prisoners in Russia.
For Mushdabayev, the fact that Umerov is now to be appointed defense minister is also a strong symbol for the West. “Without Crimea, there can be no talks about the future,” he says. “Crimea is the most important thing. It all started with her.”
Ministry suffers from structural problems
Tetiana Shevchuk sees it more soberly. “In Ukraine, we evaluate effectiveness,” says the anti-corruption activist from the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC). Origin is secondary. But Umerov has proven in the past that he is an effective leader. It is a quality that is badly needed.
Because the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense suffers from a number of structural problems that existed long before the Russian invasion. Corruption scandals, supply problems for the soldiers, ineffective material distribution, insufficient care for the wounded and finally mobilization. The list of problems that Shevchuk enumerates is long.
“Leadership qualities not enough by Resnikov”
The leadership qualities of ex-defense minister Oleksiy Resnikov were not sufficient to solve these problems, she concludes. “In order to solve a problem, you first have to admit it,” says Shevchuk. But Resnikov didn’t do that, there was a lack of adult dialogue with society. According to the Ukrainian President, “new approaches and other forms of interaction with the military and society should now be found”.
For Shevchuk, this primarily means transparency. “I think he’s an excellent candidate,” MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak told Ukrainian media. Most recently, Umerow headed the state wealth fund — a complex structure with thousands of companies and interests, says Schelesnjak. “But Rustem has survived a year without a single corruption scandal.” This distinguishes him not only as a decent person, but also as a good manager.