Zelenskyy appoints Umerov as NSDC secretary
18 July 10:41
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has changed the leadership of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC). Rustem Umerov has been appointed as the new secretary. This is stated in decree No. 496/2025 on the website of the President’s Office, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
At the same time, Zelenskyy signed another decree dismissing Oleksandr Lytvynenko from the post of NSDC Secretary. He had held this position since March 26, 2024.
Prior to his appointment to the NSDC, Lytvynenko headed the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (from July 23, 2021). He was also Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council from April 2014 to August 2019. In the overall history of the agency, Lytvynenko became the 14th Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
Now he is being replaced by Rustem Umerov, a former Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
“To appoint Rustem Enverovych Umerov as the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine,” the document reads.
The President of Ukraine signed these decrees today, July 18, 2025.
What is known about Umerov
Rustem Umerov was born in 1982 in the city of Bulungur, Samarkand region of the Uzbek SSR, in a family of immigrants from Alushta (Crimea, Ukraine). He is an ethnic Crimean Tatar and a Muslim.
In 1991, the Umerovs returned to Ukraine. They settled in the city of Bakhchisarai.
Education
Rustem Umerov graduated from the Crimean boarding school for gifted children of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine. He is a scholarship holder of the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), USA.
He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in finance from the National Academy of Management. As a student, he was actively involved in various projects and student communities: Canadian-Ukrainian Parliamentary Program, U.S.-Ukrainian Leadership Program, European Youth Parliament, AEGEE European Student Forum, Forum of the Future Summit, and the European Association of Law Students.
Career
Rustem Umerov started his career at lifecell, holding various management positions from 2004 to 2010 (Head of Individual Sales, Head of Transformation in Sales, Marketing and Customer Relations, Head of Procurement, Logistics and Contract Management, Head of GSM Network Development).
2010 – 2013 – President of the Crimean Development Fund charitable organization.
In 2013, together with his brother Aslan Omer Kirimli, he founded ASTEM Investment Company and ASTEM Foundation, a charitable foundation. ASTEM manages investments in the fields of communications, information technology and infrastructure.
In 2017, Rustem Umerov contributed to the release of two political prisoners of the Kremlin – Crimean Tatars Akhtem Chiygoz and Ilmi Umerov.
In 2019, he was elected to the 9th convocation of the Parliament of Ukraine from the Voice party, number 18 on the list as a non-partisan. He is a member of the same faction.
Secretary of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights, De-occupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, National Minorities and International Relations.
Deputy Head of the Permanent Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Co-chair of the parliamentary friendship groups with Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Co-chair of the Crimean Platform parliamentary association in the Verkhovna Rada.
2020 – Joined the group to develop a state strategy for the de-occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol at the National Security and Defense Council.
August 2021 – By the Decree of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he was awarded the Order of Merit, III degree.
July 2022 – elected Chairman of the Temporary Investigation Commission to monitor the receipt and use of international material and technical assistance during martial law.
In February 2022, he became a member of the Ukrainian delegation to participate in negotiations with the Russian Federation on the preparation and approval of a draft treaty on security guarantees for Ukraine.
He dealt with the exchange of prisoners of war, political prisoners, children and civilians, as well as the evacuation of civilians from the temporarily occupied territories.
on September 7, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Rustem Umerov, a member of the Voice faction, as the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine.
on September 4, 2023, Umerov wrote a letter of resignation from the position of the head of the SPFU.
on September 6, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Rustem Umerov as the Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
From September 6, 2023 to July 17, 2025, he was the Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
on July 18, 2025, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Umerov’s family lives in Florida, in the southern United States.
