Former Defense Minister gets new assignment: Details on Umerov's new role

Reshuffles in the NSDC

Before Umerov’s appointment as Secretary of the NSDC, it was Oleksandr Lytvynenko, who was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 26 of last year. Before that, he headed the Foreign Intelligence Service from July 23, 2021. And in the period from April 4, 2014 to August 13, 2019, he was Deputy Secretary of the NSDC.

Lytvynenko was the fourteenth Secretary of the NSDC.

However, on July 18, Zelenskyy issued a decree dismissing Lytvynenko from the position of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

At the same time, with another decree, the president appointed Umerov to this position.

"To appoint Umerov Rustem Enverovych as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine," the decree No. 496/2025 states.

What's known about Rustem Umerov

Rustem Umerov was born on April 19, 1982, in the city of Samarkand (Uzbekistan – ed.) in a family of Crimean Tatars who were deported from Alushta during Soviet repressions. He is an ethnic Crimean Tatar and practices Islam. Umerov is married and has three children.

He received secondary education at the Crimean boarding gymnasium for gifted children, which was subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. He was also a participant in the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), through which he studied in the USA. He received higher education at the National Academy of Management, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in finance.

He began his career in the telecommunications field – from 2004 to 2010, he held managerial positions in the company lifecell. During the same period, Umerov engaged in investment activities, founding the company ASTEM, which operates in the fields of investment, telecommunications, and infrastructure. He also created the charitable ASTEM Foundation, which implements projects in the fields of education, culture, and youth support.

In 2019, Rustem Umerov was elected as a Member of Parliament of Ukraine of the 9th convocation from the Holos (Voice) party. In the Verkhovna Rada, he held the position of Secretary of the Committee on Human Rights, De-occupation of Temporarily Occupied Territories, Reintegration, as well as National Minorities and Interethnic Relations. His parliamentary activity was closely connected with the topics of human rights protection, the de-occupation of Crimea, and support for the Crimean Tatar people.

Government reshuffles

On July 16, the Verkhovna Rada voted for the resignation of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the entire composition of the government. On the eve of this, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the need to renew the executive branch and proposed the candidacy of Yuliia Svyrydenko for the post of Prime Minister. Since 2021, she has held the position of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy.

Yesterday, the parliament supported Svyrydenko’s appointment as head of government and approved the new composition of the Cabinet of Ministers.

In particular, Denys Shmyhal now heads the Ministry of Defense, and Andrii Sybiha has again become Minister of Foreign Affairs.