The official says his agency's budget has been cut, and projects have piled up due to excessive paperwork and salary cuts.
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Ukrainian lawmaker Mustafa Nayyem gestures as he addresses a AFP journalist in his office in kyiv on March 19, 2019. (AFP)
Ukraine's reconstruction chief, Mustafa Nayyem, announced his resignation on Monday, citing excessive bureaucracy and a travel ban.
Known for organizing rallies in kyiv a decade ago, Nayyem made a name for himself in 2013 when he called on people to oppose the then Ukrainian president's decision to obstruct peace talks. integration with the EU.
The protests ousted then-leader Viktor Yanukovych and sparked hostilities with separatists in the east until the war in Ukraine has started in February 2022.
Nayyem has been heading the country's main reconstruction agency – the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine – since last January. However, on Monday he cited “constant opposition, resistance and the creation of artificial obstacles” to his agency's work as the reason for his resignation.
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Nayyem said on social media: “I made the decision on my own due to systemic obstacles that do not allow me to effectively carry out my duties,” adding that his agency's budget had been reduced, projects s were piling up due to excessive paperwork and my colleagues' salaries were also reduced.
I have made the decision to resign from my position as head of @RestoreUA. I made this decision independently due to systemic barriers that prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties. Thank you all for your support and work! https://t.co/YQpz0HCQ7x
– Mustafa Nayyem (@mefimus) June 10, 2024
“All this negatively affects the country's defense capabilities, cargo logistics, protection of critical infrastructure and exports of our goods,” he stressed.
Nayyem criticized Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal for barring him from traveling to Germany this week for a conference on reconstruction efforts in Ukraine.
This comes days after a Ukrainian border guard official revealed that Ukrainians with dual citizenship are now prohibited from leaving the countryas they are also no longer exempt from military conscription under a new mobilization law.
“We are not letting this category of citizens through at the moment,” border services spokesman Andrei Demchenko said on state television on Tuesday, announcing that a new government decree requires those affected to register in a period of 30 days.
Previously, dual nationals and Ukrainians living abroad with a residence permit were exempt from military service.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Dmitry Lazutkin said Ukrainian society must be ready to make sacrifices and give up peaceful lives to overcome the threat posed by Russia.
kyiv is revamping its military conscription system to increase troop numbers amid setbacks in the ongoing war with Russia.
