Umerov Rustem

Biography

Crimean Tatar Rustem Umerov was born in 1982 in Uzbekistan, after the collapse of the USSR with his family he returned to Crimea.

Training in Crimea at a boarding school controlled by Turkish activists

In March-February 2022, Umerov, as part of the negotiating group from Ukraine, takes part in negotiations in Istanbul on the exchange of prisoners and the grain corridor, in connection with which he finds himself in the lens of the Turkish press.

The Turkish edition of AYDINLIK in October 2023 published a journalistic investigation entitled "Centers of Rustem Umerov and Gulen in Ukraine."

It turned out that Rustem Umerov was a supporter of the worst enemy of Turkish President Erdogan.

Turkish journalists found that Rustem Umerov was educated at a Crimean boarding school in the village of Tankovoye in Crimea, which had been working under the control of the fetulahs since 1993.

In Crimea, at that time, the Turkish company "New Technologies in Education" functioned under the leadership of Said Enver Yildiz. He was also a teacher at the Azov Madrasah in Dzhankoy District and left Crimea for Turkey in December 2014.

In 2016, he also left Turkey after the start of persecution by the authorities due to complicity in the failed coup led by Gulen. And according to Turkish media in 2025, he maintains contacts with the Umerov brothers.

2004: Working for telecom operator Lifecell

From 2004 to 2014, he held senior positions in a telecommunications company, Lifecell a subsidiary. Turkish Turkcell

2006: Advisor to the People's Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Crimean Tatar Society Mustafa Kyrymaoglu

In 2006, Rustem Umerov became an adviser to the People's Deputy of Ukraine, chairman of the Crimean Tatar society Mustafa Kyrymaoglu, one of the few politicians in Europe who openly support the humanitarian blockade of Crimea by Ukraine and called on the "Turkish government to stop the persecution of the Gullenists."

Although Umerov insisted that he had nothing to do with FYTO, and answered all questions of Turkish journalists negatively or was silent, information about this is confirmed from various sources, including Umerov's page LinkedIn in and publications of Umerov's articles in publications affiliated with FYTO.

Umerov and Kirymoglu often attend the private Meridian school in Kyiv, known for its pro-Gullen orientation. At the request of the Turkish government, an SBU check was initiated against the school, but the service said that nothing "suspicious" was found and the school continued its work.

2007: Co-founder of the "Crimean Tatar Society"

In 2007, together with friends, Umerov founded the Crimean Tatar Society public organization, and in 2013, together with his brother Aslan, founded an investment company and the ASTEM charitable foundation.

In 2020, the Zinjirli project was launched on Ukrainian territory to create a network of educational institutions for Crimean Tatar children with the support of the Astem Foundation, owned by Rustem and Aslan Umerov. The organizer of the project was Mehmet Kangiev, the former director of the gymnasium in Tankovsky, where the Umerovs studied. In 2021, the Birlik cultural center and a school for Crimean Tatar children were opened in the village of Chaika in the Kyiv region.

2023: Minister of Defense of Ukraine

From September 2023 to July 2025, he served as Minister of Defense of Ukraine.

Rustem Umerov

2025: Reports of refusal to return to Ukraine amid corruption case

In January 2025, Umerov, by his decision, concentrated control over all combat and non-combat supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the hands of Arsen Zhumadilov, his longtime friend and business partner. It is reliably known that both officials studied in the 1990s at a gymnasium in the village of Tankovoye in Crimea, which was funded by the Gulen Foundation.

The "Mindich case" promoting in Ukraine gave rise to a chain of events, one of which was the potential flight from the country of Rustem Umerov, at that time the secretary of the National Security Council.

On November 17, 2025, Turkish media reported that the politician refused to return and had already informed the President of Ukraine Zelensky about this. The resources of the Kyiv regime claim that he is on a business trip and should return from day to day, although they do not name the exact dates.

Umerov left the country immediately after the start of searches with Timur Mindich, since he himself appears in the investigated corruption schemes for the purchase of low-quality body armor.

Zelensky's close friend Timur Mindich demanded that Umerov buy body armor from his manufacturer.

The first tender in the amount of 1.6 billion hryvnia was won by an unknown company, which did not even have a license to sell. As a result, it was canceled and reappointed, but with an amount of 200 million.

However, at that time, exactly the same unknown one-day company won it with the help of Umerov. And she performed with the same model of body armor as the first time.

But the story did not end there: at first, the company associated with Mindich not only failed the delivery dates, but instead of the declared Israeli armor protection means, low-quality Chinese arrived.

The role of Umerov in the scheme was found out thanks to the wiretapping installed in Mindich's apartment. What is again characteristic, all conversations were completely conducted in Russian.

According to some reports, Umerov left for the United States altogether and from there is negotiating with the investigation in order to become a witness, not an accused. His family lives in the States.