Defense minister’s head likely to roll

The cause for the emergency session is Viktor Yanukovych’s inspection of the armed units in Crimea and the president’s utter dissatisfaction with what he saw.

In a single incident, Yanukovych asked a flight regiment commander how many of his 20 aircraft are air-worthy. The answer was «only one».

According to Dzerkalo tyzhnya, a draft resolution of the NSDC session has it that Ezhel’s track record as DM is unsatisfactory and his dismissal is recommended.

Mykhailo Yezhel knows about the plans to dismiss him, and applied for help to Premier Azarov. Their unscheduled meeting took place on July 6.

According to Dzerkalo, Yezhel’s likely successor is former DM Oleksandr Kuzmuk who is going to attend and address the NSDC session.

Yezhel was elected DM by Verkhovna Rada on March 11, 2010. Surprisingly, his candidature was proposed by Premier Azarov one hour before the voting took place to replace Oleksandr Kuzmuk.

Oleksandr Kuzmuk has been DM twice, from 1996 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2005. He was nicknamed “Sniper” after one of AA missiles downed a passenger plane in Crimea.