G7 ambassadors called for resolving the situation with the change in the leadership of the DPA and continuing procurement

Ambassadors of the G7 countries in Ukraine called for resolving the situation surrounding the appointment of the leadership of the Defense Procurement Agency.

Diplomats recommend resolving the "situation in the Defense Procurement Agency" as soon as possible and focusing on continuing defense procurement.

Change in the management of the DPA

On January 20, the Supervisory Board of the Agency submitted a recommendation to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to extend the contract of the current director of the Agency, Marina Bezrukova, for one year.

On January 23, the supervisory board concluded an additional agreement to extend the contract with Bezrukova. However, the next day, Umerov announced the dismissal of his deputy Dmitry Klimenkov and a change in the leadership of the Defense Procurement Agency. Umerov noted that the results of arms procurement were unsatisfactory, so the system needed to be changed. Instead of Bezrukova, the agency will be headed by Arsen Zhumadilov, who currently heads the State Logistics Operator.

The Ministry of Defense also recalled two state representatives from the supervisory board — the director of the "Back Alive" foundation, Taras Chmut, and former Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Yuriy Dzyhyra.

On January 25, the Defense Procurement Agency announced that it would continue working under Bezrukovaʼs leadership, despite Umerovʼs decision. However, on January 27, Suspilne, citing its own sources, wrote that Minister Umerov had initiated an internal investigation into the agency, and Bezrukova had been suspended from work for the duration of the investigation.

The Anti-Corruption Center criticized Umerovʼs decision not to extend the contract with Bezrukova. The Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Center, Darya Kalenyuk, previously explained that the Supervisory Board has the legal right to extend the contract with the Director of the Defense Procurement Agency without the consent of the Ministry of Defense.

Bezrukova herself said that her relations with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov "began to deteriorate" due to the incident with low-quality 120-mm mines.

• The Defense Procurement Agency was created in July 2022, modeled after the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. Its task is to make arms purchases for Ukraine transparent and eliminate corruption. Since January of this year, the agency has been headed by Maryna Bezrukova.

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