Mustafa Nayyem, the top official responsible for Ukraine’s defense fortifications and reconstruction efforts, has resigned. This resignation, alongside two other departures from Ukraine’s Restoration and Infrastructure Development agency, has shaken Western confidence in Ukraine’s government.
Nayyem claims that his work was being undermined by the government.
Nayyem told the Financial Times that before his resignation, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal prevented him from attending the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference on June 11 and 12 in Berlin. The conference brings together potential donors interested in funding reconstruction projects in parts of Ukraine where infrastructure has been damaged by the war.
Zelensky is expected to attend the conference and deliver a speech addressing the German parliament while he is there.
In his resignation letter, Nayyem stated that he had faced “systemic obstacles” that hindered his ability to effectively utilize his powers, according to the Financial Times.
Nayyem’s resignation raises concerns about reconstruction efforts and the ability to protect critical infrastructure amid the ongoing war. Last month, Ukraine’s minister of infrastructure and deputy prime minister of reconstruction Oleksandr Kubrakov was removed from office following a series of allegations.
In recent months, Ukraine’s government has experienced a series of personnel challenges. In March, Zelensky removed his first assistant along with three advisers and two presidential representatives. In September, the country’s defense minister Oleksii Reznikov was dismissed after corruption allegations against his ministry.
Nayyem, an Afghan Ukrainian, first gained recognition for his role in calling for the pro-democracy Euromaidan protests in 2013.
