Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for the reintegration of eastern regions controlled by Russia-backed separatists has submitted his letter of resignation.
The cabinet’s parliamentary envoy, Taras Melnychuk, wrote on Telegram on November 1 that Oleksiy Reznikov’s resignation letter had been registered at the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council).
Further details, including the reason for his decision to submit the resignation letter, were not immediately disclosed.
Local media said the 55-year-old Reznikov, who was appointed to the post in March 2020, may join the cabinet as defense minister.
He represented Ukraine on the working political subgroup at the Trilateral Contact Group, which meets to try and resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, commonly known as the Donbas.
Russia seized Crimea and began backing fighters in parts of the two eastern provinces after months-long protests in Kyiv caused Kremlin-leaning President Viktor Yanukovych to flee in February 2014.
The resulting seven-year war in Donbas has taken the lives of more than 13,200 people and — along with the annexation of Crimea — devastated Ukraine’s economy.