Reznikov

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is set to visit Türkiye on Aug. 2 to meet with his Turkish counterpart, Yaşar Güler, defense sources have confirmed.

The specifics of the discussions have not been disclosed.

This visit follows a recent meeting between Güler and Ukrainian Naval Forces Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa in Ankara on July 31.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week with Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker.

Zelensky made the announcement on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed after Reznikov went through "more than 550 days of full-scale war."

Kiev on Aug. 18 welcomed a US decision to let Denmark and the Netherlands hand F-16 fighter jets over to Ukraine once its pilots are trained to use them.

In Russia, the authorities shut down respected rights group the Sakharov Center and announced fresh international sanctions against its critics abroad.

American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, providing Kiev with a long-sought new shield against the Russian airstrikes that have devastated cities and civilian infrastructure.

He added that the sunken Russian flagship will one day become a popular spot for divers.
"One year ago, the naval forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine changed history. The missile cruiser Moscow, the 'Russian warship' flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, was hit by a well-aimed strike from a Ukrainian Neptune missile and sank the next day," said Reznikov.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a ministerial meeting in Stockholm, Reznikov said Ukraine urgently needed shells to defend itself against Russian forces and launch a counterattack, Reuters reported.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on April 6 held an online meeting with his counterparts from Black Sea coastal countries and discussed the floating mines in the Black Sea and the issue of humanitarian corridors to Ukraine.

The discussions, held upon Turkey's invitation, were fruitful, the minister said in a statement after the meeting.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said on Tuesday that it had "uncovered a Russian criminal group" that planned to carry out a "series of armed attacks" on the country's territory.

The SSU claims that the group is "coordinated by the Russian special services" and that its goal was to work to "destabilize" Ukraine.