Former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has been appointed Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

The presidential decree, No. 496/2025, was issued on July 18 2025 and published on the official website of the Office of the President.

“To appoint Rustem Umerov as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine,” the decree reads.

Rustem Umerov previously served as Ukraine’s Minister of Defense.

Earlier, Umerov had been considered for the post of Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, but the decision was later made to nominate Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna instead.

Official procedures to coordinate her candidacy with Washington are currently underway.

Umerov isn’t heading to Washington—but he’s likely stepping into a key strategic role at NSDC.

This not only keeps him in Ukraine’s core security architecture, but ensures continuity of his influence under the new administration lineup.

Umerov is expected to remain within the top tier of defense and security decision-making, leveraging his negotiating and reform background.

Shake-Up in Ukraine’s National Security Council

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov as Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), replacing Oleksandr Lytvynenko.

Lytvynenko, who became NSDC Secretary on March 26, 2023, had previously served as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service since July 23, 2021. From April 2014 to August 2019, he was Deputy Secretary of the NSDC. His term makes him the 14th person to hold the position.

In a separate decree, Zelenskyy formally relieved Lytvynenko of his duties and named Umerov as his successor.

Who is Rustem Umerov?

Rustem Umerov was born on April 19, 1982, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, into a family of Crimean Tatars deported from Alushta during Soviet repressions. An ethnic Crimean Tatar and practicing Muslim, Umerov is married and has three children.

He attended a specialized boarding school for gifted students in Crimea, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. He later participated in the FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) program, studying in the United States.

Umerov holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in finance from Ukraine’s National Academy of Management.

To remind, on July 10, Zelenskyy confirmed his intention to replace Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. and hinted that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov might be appointed to the position.

We alredy wrote a lot about the rediness of Rustem Umerov for such a strategic and important position and also a little about so called “Closed Club” or how the Ministry of Defence organized exclusive military procurement for “Ours”.

Than, the Office of the President of Ukraine spread the info that they considering not only current Defense Minister Rustem Umerov but also Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna as a potential candidate for the post of ambassador to the United States, according to sources within President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s team.

EMPR