Ukraine’s lengthy efforts to clean up its weapons procurement are in danger of being unwound as the Defense Ministry strangleholds the Defense Procurement Agency, say anti-corruption activists and lawmakers. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Jan. 24 that he would not renew the contract of Maryna Bezrukova, the head
The statement comes amid mounting complaints and videos shared on social media that show the mortar shells not exploding or failing to hit their targets.
An ammunition shortage has long been a cause for concern in Ukraine but has escalated this year.
The three men are accused of "taking out confidential business-technical documentation from this company without authorisation and handing it over to a foreign organization," Serbian police said in a statement quoted by AFP.
Maryna Bezrukova immediately knew she was upsetting murky and powerful forces in Ukraine’s arms trade. Amid a push for reforms in the Defense Ministry, Bezrukova took the reins of the ministry’s Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) this January. She left behind her comfortable job at the state electricity grid
While the statement didn't specify the number of shells procured, Reuters reported on June 4 that Berlin was looking to boost an existing order from the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall by 200,000.
Ukraine has allocated a further Hr 15.5 billion ($391 million) to purchasing drones for the country's armed forces, enough to buy 300,000, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 30.
The increasing number of Bohdanas being produced by Ukraine is part of a wider effort to ramp up domestic weapons production amid rising uncertainty surrounding military aid from the U.S.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Polish law enforcement services conducted searches in Poland and Ukraine regarding a suspected weapons procurement corruption scheme, the bureau's press service said on April 9.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry established a new structural unit, the Logistics Support Planning Department, in an effort to create long-term procurement plans for the military, the Defense Ministry announced on March 26.
"This solves several issues at the same time. Firstly, we can guarantee continuous, stable, and manageable supplies for our military," said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a governmental meeting on Feb. 1.
Editor’s Note: This story is a collaborative project of the Kyiv Independent (Ukraine), Eesti Ekspress (Estonia), Die Welt (Germany), Lighthouse Reports, and The Investigative Desk (the Netherlands). Top findings: * Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine had driven arms prices times up * High demand has allowed some private brokers that secure
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