Ukraine's Defense Ministry officially appointed Arsen Zhumadilov as the new head of the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) on March 6, said the agency responsible for weapons purchases for the military.
At the same time, Zhumadilov resigned as chief of the State Rear Operator (DOT), a sister agency overseeing the procurement of non-lethal supplies for the Armed Forces. Andrii Sozanskyi, DOT's executive director, replaced him as acting director.
The defense procurement sector was reshaped in December 2023, aiming to meet NATO standards. The DPA, first established in August 2022, was to focus solely on lethal aid. Meanwhile, the DOT was formed to purchase non-lethal aid such as food and clothing.
"The Defense Ministry should work more efficiently. There are very high expectations from everyone involved in the defense sector. Changes are objectively overdue and perhaps overripe. We all have no time to delay any longer," Zhumadilov said.
The official appointment came more than a month after the scandal in procurement agencies.
In late January, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov refused to extend the contract with the former DPA director Maryna Bezrukova for another year over supposedly poor performance, defying the DPA Supervisory Board's decision. According to Bezrukova, Umerov's move caused a "legal conflict" inside the organization, reportedly blocking its procurement functions.
At the same time, the minister appointed Zhumadilov, who also runs the DOT, as interim director-general of the DPA.
One of NATO and European partners' requirements for Ukraine was the establishment of two agencies that would be directly responsible for procurement for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, not through the Defense Ministry or contractors.
According to Ukrainian law, supervisory boards can hire and fire the heads of state enterprises unilaterally. This means that legally, after the board's vote, Bezrukova should have taken over the DPA for another year.
However, the Defense Ministry, which oversees the DPA, amended the agency's charter so the ministry can reverse the supervisory board's decisions.
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) is investigating possible abuses of power by Umerov.
Oleg Sukhov
(Updated: )
