Arms procurement head should keep post, supervisory board says
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The supervisory board of Ukraine’s Defense Procurement Agency advised the Defense Minister to extend its director’s work in a statement posted on Facebook on Jan. 20.
“The Supervisory Board submitted to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov a recommendation to extend the contract of the current director of the Defense Procurement Agency, Maryna Bezrukova, for one year,” the statement read.
Separate boards were set up for Ukraine’s lethal and non-lethal procurement agencies, complying with NATO standards, in the fall of 2024.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov planned to merge the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) and the State Logistics Operator (DOT) into one agency but changed his mind after a NATO statement said that the two agencies should be kept separate and two separate supervisory boards should be established.
Bezrukova, a former employee of Ukraine’s energy company Ukrenergo, was appointed to head the DPA.
“This decision is based on an assessment of her performance and the need to ensure stability and efficiency in procurement management in wartime,” the supervisory board statement read.
In a separate move, the supervisory board also announced initiating an independent audit by the International Board of Auditors of NATO (IBAN), the results of which will form a “center of excellence for Ukraine's military procurement,” the statement read.
