Former Minister of Defense, Army General Oleksandr Kuzmuk, has been dismissed from his position as a freelance advisor to the Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was stated in a statement by the Territorial Defense Forces, as reported by UNN.
Details
In response to numerous inquiries: Army General Oleksandr Kuzmuk was appointed as a freelance advisor to the Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the relevant order dated October 14, 2022. According to today's decision of the Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kuzmuk has been dismissed from the position of freelance advisor.
Addition
On December 6, a message appeared on the Territorial Defense Forces' page stating that on the occasion of the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kuzmuk, advisor to the Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on behalf of Major General Ihor Plakhuta, presented departmental awards and valuable gifts to servicemen of the Territorial Defense Forces.
Oleksandr Kuzmuk congratulated everyone present on the holiday, especially noting the courage with which the Armed Forces of Ukraine are resisting the Russian aggressor, and the contribution of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to this struggle.
Over a historically short period, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have come a long way. If we resist a monster that surpasses us many times over in strength, it is solely thanks to you - all officers, sergeants, and soldiers who fight bravely and steadfastly! Honor and glory to you
This stirred up the network, particularly because Oleksandr Kuzmuk was once the Minister of Defense of Ukraine - from 1996 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2005. He was a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the 4th, 6th, and 7th convocations from the "Party of Regions."
What Kuzmuk was remembered for
Kuzmuk is known for signing an appeal in June 2013, along with 148 other people's deputies of Ukraine from the Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine, to the Polish Sejm asking to "recognize the Volyn tragedy as genocide against the Polish population and condemn the criminal actions of Ukrainian nationalists." This step was qualified as national treason by the first President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk.
In 2000, during exercises, a Tochka-U missile hit a 9-story building in Brovary, Kyiv region. Four days after the tragedy, the Ministry of Defense, led by Oleksandr Kuzmuk, refused to admit that it was their missile that hit the residential building, as a result of which people were killed and injured.
At that time, he stated that he considered it unfair to resign after the accident: "From my side, it would have been dishonest - to make a publicity-noble gesture: look, what a strong person I am. By doing so, I would have abandoned my troops, my employees, with so-called nobility I would have hidden behind this tragedy, I decided for myself to drink this bitter cup to the bottom."
Also, on October 4, 2001, during Ukrainian-Russian exercises over the Black Sea, a Tu-154 aircraft of Sibir Airlines was shot down. According to the conclusions of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), the aircraft was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile fired by an S-200V air defense system of the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces from the Feodosia area in Crimea.
In addition, the media claim that it was during Kuzmuk's tenure that Ukraine, between 2004 and 2005, withdrew 248 MANPADS, 136 tanks, 781 BMP/BTRs, 96 aircraft, and 18 helicopters from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And during Kuzmuk's first ministerial term, under his leadership, Russia received Ukrainian strategic bombers and missiles for them.
Recall
Journalists of the "Schemes" program (Radio Svoboda) named the officials who approved the large-scale alienation of military property of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2011, as a result of which the last two Tu-95MS strategic bombers were sold. These include Viktor Baloha, who is currently a sitting MP, and Inna Yemelyanova, who is currently a member of the Commission on Legal Reform under the President of Ukraine.