Reshuffle at Defense Procurement Agency: reasons behind chief’s dismissal, frontline update. Serhiy Zgurets' column

Changes in the Defense Procurement Agency

The Ministry of Defense has announced the dismissal of Maryna Bezrukova, director of the Defense Procurement Agency, and the appointment of Arsen Zhumadilov as acting director. A few days ago, these appointments were already registered, but later several corrections were made to the announcement. Also today, the Ministry of Defense held a press conference to announce the main points of this story.

The Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the change in leadership is due to a number of reasons. Firstly, it is the failure to fulfill the planned supplies for the frontline, numerous remarks by the General Staff regarding poor defense procurement planning and untimely communications from the agency, unjustified postponement of delivery schedules and information leaks, which will be a separate subject of investigation by law enforcement agencies.

The Ministry of Defense is thoroughly investigating the reasons for this situation and why the main mechanism, the Supervisory Board, which was supposed to play an important role in balancing the interests of society and the Ministry of Defense, failed.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the Supervisory Board, in particular its leadership, failed to fulfill its functions. Therefore, the Ministry of Defense is making a decision on the head of the Defense Procurement Agency. Starting February 1, Arsen Zhumadilov will be the interim head of the Defense Procurement Agency. 

It is worth noting that the procurement of World War II mines is only a fragment of many contracts that require careful consideration. Even if there were an international audit, it would hardly dive into every contract that has its own history, which requires a careful approach to assess the effectiveness of decisions.

The reference point was the position of the General Staff, which in mid-January wrote a harsh letter to the Minister of Defense analyzing the planned procurement carried out by the Defense Ministry. The General Staff pointed out that there were numerous cases when products were contracted incorrectly.  Contracts were concluded for a long time, and the priority needs of the Armed Forces were not met, which created problems with the combat capability of the army. The Chief of the General Staff asked the Minister of Defense to look into the situation with the state-owned enterprise.

The situation between the agency's management and the Minister of Defense means that this area will require public control and efficient use of public funds. Paradoxically, when money is allocated, priorities are proclaimed, but the primary needs of the Armed Forces, in particular in ammunition, are not met.

In any case, it is clear why the Minister of Defense made such tough decisions to change the leadership of the Defense Procurement Agency. This should affect the efficient use of funds and the search for more effective mechanisms for purchasing ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

Frontline update: Chasiv Yar

The Russian forces are trying to press from the north and south, as well as attacking the central areas of the settlement. Fighting continues for almost every house.

The Russian plans to advance must be destroyed by the resilience of the Ukrainian defense. The Russians have been unsuccessfully trying to capture Chasiv Yar for a year. They are now relying on superiority in manpower and equipment, but this advantage must be offset by the experience and professionalism of Ukrainian units, including those defending Chasiv Yar.

Ukraine Russia war live map, January 8-15, Photo: Espreso

Denys Kardash, chief sergeant of the Black Raven attack drone unit, spoke about the situation in the area and the use of technological solutions to destroy the enemy.

“We are located a little to the right of Chasiv Yar, in the direction of Klishchiivka and Andriivka. But the same army brigades and regiments are fighting against us. The Russians are constantly attacking in small groups, entrenching themselves, digging in dugouts, which we are destroying, leveling the front line so that there are no dugouts left. We do this with the help of FPV drones and other equipment,” he said.

According to him, in addition to the operators, a large group of command and control, support, workshops, etc. are working against the enemy. Intelligence, FPV drones and crews work around the clock. When the enemy conducts small-scale assaults, the Armed Forces use bombers, while the military protect the FPV drones: “We are also flying to Bakhmut and other places so that the enemy does not relax,” added the chief sergeant of the Black Raven attack drone unit.

Kardash says that the Russians have fewer FPV drones than the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which are working very hard, detecting and destroying pilot crews, antennas, and equipment of the Russian army.

As for the effectiveness of the unmanned aerial vehicle registry, the unit reports on the results and receives additional drones based on this. Every piece of equipment, hit, destruction, or damage is counted, and points are awarded. Then the military makes reports, and at the end of the month, they can use these points to buy equipment for their unit.

According to Kardash, before choosing a weapon, suppliers first offer a weapon that is tested at a training ground and in combat conditions. The main thing is service, ease of repair, and quality. Manufacturers often make repairs on site so as not to have to transport the equipment to Kyiv or further.

The military also spoke about fiber-optic drones, which appeared on the Russian and the Ukrainian sides at the same time: “We paid more attention to changing frequencies to fly without being tethered to a wire. Now we are catching up and using fiber optics on a par with the occupiers. Not only the availability of fiber is important here, but also the experience of the pilots. Not every pilot can fly well on fiber, hit targets and understand how it works.”