In the July
2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Umerov was elected a People's Deputy of Ukraine from the Holos party. He has co-authored almost 100 bills, drafted a statement by the Verkhovna Rada on the illegitimacy of Russia's vote on amendments to the
annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and introduced a bill on the abolition of the Crimean free economic zone. Umerov helped spearhead the construction of 1,000 apartments for internally-displaced Crimean Tatars and other Ukrainian citizens with Turkish support. In early April 2021, Zelenskyy and Turkish president
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to begin building the apartments. Ukrainian
Minister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksii Reznikov and Turkish
Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Murat Kurum signed an agreement in which Turkey would build 500 apartments: 200 in
Mykolaiv, 200 in
Kherson, and 100 in
Kyiv. In May 2020, he co-authored a bill on the payment of hospital bills to physicians because of
COVID-19, regardless of length of service and at 100 percent of the average salary. In September 2020, Umerov and other deputies initiated a resolution on the redistribution of money from the Fund to Fight COVID-19 to ensure safe education during quarantine. He co-authored a bill establishing a procedure for recognizing stateless persons. The law, allowing such persons to legally remain in Ukraine and obtain a document certifying their identity and status, took effect on 18 July 2020. Umerov collaborated on a bill exempting internally-displaced persons from
tourist tax for living in temporary accommodations that was signed into law on 12 October 2020. In April 2021, Umerov stated that Ukraine would not
supply water through the
North Crimean Canal to Crimea while Russian occupation continued. Umerov said that because Russia has violated international law, it is responsible for the humanitarian needs of the Crimean people.
International activity Volodymyr Zelenskyy and
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba with Saudi Foreign Minister
Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in
Kyiv on 26 February 2023 Umerov was deputy head of the permanent delegation to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). In May 2020, he appealed to the
UN, the
European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the
OSCE,
NATO, and the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation to honor victims of the Crimean Tatar genocide and condemn Russia's violations of their rights and freedoms. In January 2021, as part of a delegation to the PACE winter session, Umerov raised the issue of violation of the rights of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars in Crimea by the Russian occupiers. Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, due to their ethnic affiliation and Ukrainian position, are subject to inspection by the occupation administration, which results in repression and illegal imprisonment.
Ethnic profiling results in the failure to provide medical care to Russian political hostages. Umerov raised the issue of allegedly compulsory vaccination by Russia of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea with its
Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. He met with international partners to inform them about the alleged systemic human-rights violations, including those against Crimean Tatars in Crimea. According to a source close to Ukraine's security forces, Umerov established good relations with
Turkey's foreign minister
Hakan Fidan. In May 2023, he accompanied
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Saudi Arabia and contributed to Zelenskyy's participation in the
2023 Arab League summit in Jeddah. He is one of the most active supporters of
President Zelenskyy's "peace formula" on international forums and is expected to promote the Ukrainian "peace formula" in neutral countries of the
Global South, especially in the Arab world, Africa and Asia. In August 2023, he attended an international summit in Saudi Arabia on the war in Ukraine.
Crimea Umerov facilitated the 2017 release of two Russian
political prisoners, Crimean Tatars
Ahtem Chiygoz and
İlmi Ümerov. In 2020, he established an interdepartmental coordination center focused on the release of Ukrainian political prisoners. In March 2020, Umerov initiated parliamentary hearings on the de-occupation and reintegration of Crimea and
Sevastopol in March of that year to develop a strategic document on the return of the region to Ukraine. Umerov communicates with Ukrainian authorities on exchanges of Crimean political prisoners and prisoners of war. In July 2020, he drafted a statement by the
Verkhovna Rada on the illegitimacy of an all-Russian vote on amendments to the
Constitution of the Russian Federation concerning Crimean territory. The statement was supported by 306 deputies. In September of that year, Umerov joined a group developing a state strategy for the de-occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol, supported by the parliamentary Human Rights Committee. The
Crimea Platform was established by the Verkhovna Rada in December 2020. Umerov was elected co-chair with
Mustafa Dzhemilev,
Ahtem Chiygoz,
Yelyzaveta Yasko, and . Its purposes are to implement a parliamentary track for Crimea, and to create an inter-parliamentary assembly to advocate the restoration of control of portions of the
Black and
Azov Seas. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Turkey,
Moldova, and
Slovakia agreed to participate in the initiative, which is drafting about 20 bills about the peninsula's indigenous peoples, the status of Crimean Tatars, and
Constitutional amendments concerning Crimea. He drafted a parliamentary appeal to the UN and other bodies condemning the occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol, violations of human rights and freedoms, and calling for the release of Ukrainian political prisoners.
Social activity Umerov has participated in student, public and charitable events, individually and as part of organizations, since 1999. He was a 2007 founder of the Crimean Tatars Fellowship, which focuses on the representation of Crimean Tatars in Ukraine and dialogue within the community in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Umerov co-founded the international organization Bizim Qırım that year, which aimed to preserve national interests and promote the rights of the Crimean Tatars. He was co-founder and president of the Crimean Development Fund from 2011 to 2013. Umerov became a co-founder and board member of the Crimean International Business Association in 2012. Among the association's goals were to develop the Crimean economy. Umerov's family funded the restoration of the 17th-century
Orta Cami Mosque in
Bakhchysarai to regain Crimea's cultural and historical heritage. The reconstructed mosque, which had been inactive for about 95 years, reopened on 16 August 2013. In 2013, Umerov co-founded the ASTEM Foundation to improve public life via social innovation, regional communities, education, medicine, sports, culture, human rights, and religious freedom. It sponsored the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders program at
Stanford University, Umerov co-founded the Evkaf Foundation in 2014 to help develop Muslim communities. The
Ukrainian Navy tugboat
Yañı Qapu, damaged by the Russian military during the November 2018
Kerch Strait incident, was repaired in May 2020 with ASTEM Foundation support.
Crimean National Welfare Fund Umerov is a co-founder and board member of the Crimean National Welfare Fund.
Peace negotiations and alleged poisoning Umerov was present at the March
2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations after the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to
Meduza website, Umerov was accused by the
Kremlin of spying for the US and deliberately prolonging negotiations to benefit Ukraine. It was reported on 28 March that Umerov, Russian billionaire
Roman Abramovich, and another lawmaker developed symptoms consistent with poisoning after the event, including "red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their hands and faces". The three negotiators flew to
Istanbul to receive medical attention.
Minister of Defense in Kyiv, 20 November 2023 at NATO headquarters in Brussels, 12 February 2025 On 3 September 2023, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he planned to replace incumbent minister of defense,
Oleksii Reznikov with Umerov, as Reznikov would resign later that day. Umerov would be confirmed as the new Minister of Defense by the
Verkhovna Rada on 6 September. On 28 January 2025, the
National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine launched a "pre-trial investigation" into Umerov over his dismissal of Marina Bezrukova as director of the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) and his appointment of Arsen Zhumadilov to replace her, citing a complaint from the
Anti-Corruption Action Center and the appointment being made despite the DPA's decision to extend Bezrukova's tenure.
National Security Council On 18 July 2025, Zelenskyy appointed Umerov as secretary of the
National Security and Defense Council as part of a government reshuffle.
Defence procurement corruption allegations On 3 December 2024, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov was summoned to the
Verkhovna Rada in connection with controversies surrounding defence procurement, including the purchase of dysfunctional
mortar rounds. On 24 January 2025, Umerov declined to approve a decision of the Supervisory Board of the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) to extend the contract of its director, Marina Bezrukova, for another year. He also dismissed two members of the Supervisory Board who had supported the extension:
Taras Chmut, director of the
Come Back Alive foundation, and former Deputy Minister of Defense
Yuriy Dzhygyr. On 25 January 2025, the
Anti-Corruption Action Center submitted a statement to the
National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) alleging abuse of office by Umerov in connection with the DPA leadership dispute. On 27 January, NABU registered proceedings against Umerov on suspicion of abuse of power. On 18 September 2025, the Anti-Corruption Action Center published a report stating that Umerov's family owned eight luxury properties in the US, but that he had only declared one of them. In a statement, the
National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine pointed out that information about Umerov's family was sensitive due to his position. Umerov's office stated that the purchases made by Umerov's brothers and parents were independent of Umerov and that five of the properties were not used by Umerov's immediate family. The Anti-Corruption Action Center nevertheless called for further investigation. == Personal life ==