Ukraine's state defense firm dismisses officials after deadly Vyshneve depot explosion
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Ukraine's largest state-owned defense company, Ukroboronprom, dismissed two officials on July 12 following a preliminary investigation into a deadly explosion at one of its ammunition depots during a Russian attack on the Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve.
The officials, who headed two state-owned enterprises within the defense conglomerate, were dismissed after investigators found violations of Ukrainian law and ammunition storage regulations, the company said in a statement.
"According to the results of a preliminary investigation, the heads of two state-owned enterprises, in respect of which violations of the requirements of the legislation and rules for the safe storage of ammunition were established, were dismissed from their positions," Ukroboronprom said.
"Other officials whose actions or inaction could have led to serious consequences were also dismissed," the statement added.
The dismissals come days after President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered a criminal investigation into the incident.
On July 11, Zelensky said Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) had identified the heads of the two state-owned enterprises — who were dismissed the following day — as primarily responsible for violating ammunition storage regulations by operating an ammunition depot in the densely populated Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve.
Vyshneve, on Kyiv's western outskirts, came under heavy Russian drone and missile fire during a large-scale overnight attack on the capital on July 6. An ammunition depot belonging to Ukroboronprom was struck, triggering powerful secondary explosions that killed seven people and injured 29 others.
Ukroboronprom, also known as Ukrainian Defense Industry, is Ukraine's largest state-owned defense manufacturer. The conglomerate comprises around 100 enterprises that develop and produce weapons, military equipment, and ammunition, including missiles, drones, armored vehicles, and other defense systems.
