Defense ministry procurement chief announces early resignation after new minister takes office

Arsen Zhumadilov, director of the Defense Ministry's Defense Procurement Agency (DPA), announced Aug. 20 that he has submitted his resignation and will step down early.

"I made this decision for myself back in June. It is my decision. It was not influenced by anyone or anything… As of today, my decision stands: Aug. 31 will be my last day on the job," Zhumadilov said during a press conference in Kyiv.

The announcement comes as Ukraine's parliament on Aug. 19 backed the appointment of Evhen Khmara, the former acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), as the country's new defense minister.

Oleh Klots, former director general of the state-owned Medical Procurement of Ukraine, will serve as interim head of the agency pending the appointment of a permanent successor by Ukraine's new defense minister, according to Zhumadilov.

Klots headed the state-owned agency from January 2025 to May 2026. He joined Medical Procurement of Ukraine in 2021, during Zhumadilov's tenure as its head. Zhumadilov led the agency until 2023, when he took over as head of the State Rear Operator (DOT), which oversees non-lethal procurement.

Zhumadilov was appointed to lead the DPA in March 2025 after former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov dismissed its previous director, Maryna Bezrukova, amid tensions between the ministry's leadership and the agency.

The two agencies, the State Rear Operator (DOT) and the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA), were merged in January into a single body under Zhumadilov's leadership. The merger drew reservations from anti-corruption watchdogs and ran counter to earlier NATO recommendations.

In May 2026, Zhumadilov was questioned as a witness by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) in one of the country's largest corruption scandals, centered on businessman and President Volodymyr Zelensky's former business associate, Timur Mindich.

Audio tapes obtained by NABU included discussions between Mindich and then-Minister Umerov about defense contracts and procurement. Zhumadilov confirmed that he met with the two in March 2025 to discuss contracts for bulletproof vests, but denied any wrongdoing or ulterior motives.

Zhumadilov has also faced criticism from the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAc), an independent watchdog, for firing his deputy and former NABU director, Artem Sytnyk. The NGO described the move as an effort by Umerov and Zhumadilov to "ensure convenient and loyal control over the agency."