The Ministry of Defense announced that starting tomorrow, the Defense Procurement Agency will be headed by Arsen Zhumadilov instead of Maryna Bezrukova. Bezrukova appealed to President Volodymyr Zelensky to intervene in the conflict.
The ministry emphasized that Bezrukovaʼs contract ends on January 31 and was not extended.
"From February 1, 2025, the temporary performance of the duties of the head of the Agency has been entrusted to Arsen Zhumadilov. He will perform these functions until the new director is approved in accordance with the established procedure," the message says.
Bezrukova says that the agencyʼs work was effectively blocked for a whole week due to the change in the head. She believes that this situation threatens critical supplies for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, undermines the trust of international partners, and harms the countryʼs security.
She asks Zelensky to stop the destruction of the agency, guarantee the resolution of the conflict exclusively in a legal manner, and ensure the full and stable operation of DPA — without pressure, blockages, and attacks.
Whatʼs happening at the Defense Procurement Agency
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 Maryna 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 reported the dismissal of his deputy Dmytro 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 — Taras Chmut, director of the "Come Back Alive" foundation, and Yuriy Dzyhyr, former Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Both voted to extend Bezrukovaʼs contract.
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.
On January 28, it became known that, at the request of the Central Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau launched an investigation into possible abuse of power by Umerov when he fired Bezrukova.
- 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 2024, the agency has been headed by Maryna Bezrukova.
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