On 21 January, the Supervisory Board of the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) unanimously decided to extend the contract of the current DPA Director, Maryna Bezrukova, for another year. According to the members of the Supervisory Board, this will ensure stability and efficiency in the management of arms procurement in times of war.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defence did not approve the extension of Bezrukova's contract, investigative journalist and NAKO representative Tetiana Nikolaienko reported on 22 January. According to her, the Ministry of Defence is interfering in the work of the Defence Procurement Agency's supervisory board, thus hindering its functioning. "No one asked the Ministry of Defence for permission because the wording contradicts the law. For some unknown reason, the Ministry of Defence is overstepping its legal authority with this letter and demanding to redistribute part of the exclusive competence of the Supervisory Board," said Tetiana Nikolaienko.
In this context, she also recalled the MoD's decision to amend the Defence Procurement Agency and the State Logistics Operator (DOT) charters to allow the Ministry to influence the appointment of the management of the procurement agencies. This has caused concern among the agencies' boards and civil society representatives.
Nikolaienko said one reason for these changes is the Ministry of Defence's desire to dismiss Maryna Bezrukova from her position as head of the DPA. "If the Defence Ministry had justified claims against Bezrukova, they should have been made officially long ago. Instead of first trying to take away the procurement of drones from the Defence Procurement Agency and then trying to eliminate it by merging it with the DOT," she said.
MP Oleksandra Ustinova is a possible candidate to head the Defence Procurement Agency, promoted by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. She has previously accused the DPA of inefficiency and called for its reopening.
The Defence Procurement Agency is responsible for centralising the procurement of weapons and military equipment for the defence forces. Its budget for 2024 is UAH 306.1 billion.
Photo: Telegraph
