Defense Ministry conflict exposes systemic decay and neglect

The Ministry shapes defense policy, the Armed Forces define their needs via the General Staff, and the agency handles procurement.

Supervisory board members, with all due respect, are not on the front lines. Most, aside from a few respected veterans, have never been there.

I talk to friends and family at the front daily. Yes, there’s a manpower shortage — but the critical problem is the lack of weapons and ammunition. Supervisory board members should assess the defense sector’s effectiveness based on frontline support, not relationships with managers or ministers. Yet, they aren’t military experts; they’re specialists in Ukraine’s trendy “anti-corruption” science. Ironically, no one even talks about corruption. Both sides focus only on future leadership names. The real issue — military needs — is ignored. And that should be the sole measure of the Ministry of Defense’s and Defense Procurement Agency's effectiveness. They should cooperate, not fight.

The Ministry bears political responsibility — not its agencies, regardless of how many supervisory boards they have. It’s absurd to strip the minister of the authority to appoint agency heads. Parliament entrusted that responsibility to the minister, not to unaccountable controllers. Controllers, meanwhile, should focus on ensuring transparency in procurement — and be qualified to do so. Costs depend on weapons’ effectiveness, delivery schedules, funding stages, and more — factors that require military expertise! If problems arise, replace the right people.

Oddly enough, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (National Guard) and Border Guards procure weapons without these endless conflicts, councils, or delays.

At the Ministry of Defense, procurement runs through Defense Procurement Agency with ministry approval. But infighting between structures causes sabotage and delays. Supervisory board members seem to lack competence to grasp this, and their activism only stalls progress.

It’s as if no one realizes we’re at war. Who’s responsible for the front, the soldiers’ lives, and ours? Certainly not collective councils.

The President, as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of Defense, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

They must end this pointless battle between the "good" and the "beautiful," which is destroying defense. Sorry.

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About the author. Mykola Kniazhytskyi, journalist, People's Deputy of Ukraine

The editorial staff does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.