Today, on November 17, Russian mass media circulated reports that a high-ranking official in Ukraine, former Defense Minister and current Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, had left the country and might not return. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
According to these reports, Umerov is on a foreign trip and is not planning to return to Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian side officially denied these reports.
The Center for Combating Disinformation announced that Rustem Umerov is currently in the United States and is holding working meetings there. It was also emphasized that Umerov remains in constant contact with the country's leadership.
It is noted that the reports about Umerov's escape appeared in Russian media against the backdrop of a corruption scandal. This scandal is related to Ukrainian businessman Timur Mindich, who managed to flee to Israel.
Mindich is mentioned in Ukrainian media as a shadow leader in the energy sector. For reference, Rustem Umerov was born in 1982 in Samarkand into a Crimean Tatar family.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, his family moved to Crimea. He served as Ukraine's Defense Minister until September 2023 and also worked as the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine.
