Procurement for the Armed Forces may face delays due to a legal dispute with the Defense Procurement Agency, according to Bezrukova.

The procurement of ammunition through the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) may face a block due to a legal conflict, reported Radio Liberty, citing the agency's head, Marina Bezrukova.

On January 23, the supervisory board of the DPA unanimously voted to extend Bezrukova's contract for another year.

However, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov canceled the supervisory board's decision on January 24, stating that he would not extend Bezrukova's contract as head of the DPA.

The reason cited was allegedly unsatisfactory results, and he appointed Rustem Zhumadilov, who also heads the "State Rear Operator" (SRO).

Following Umerov's move, the DPA announced that it would continue operating under Bezrukova’s leadership.

“Contracts and deliveries may be blocked because we are in a legal conflict. Right now, I cannot fulfill my duties due to certain registration procedures,” Bezrukova said in a comment to Radio Liberty.

“The newly appointed acting director is also unlikely to be able to perform his duties because his appointment contradicts the law and the statute, and we actually have a legal blockage. I don’t know why this was done; it’s a very strange situation,” she added.

The consequences of this ministerial decision are hard to predict. Bezrukova described the situation as a “serious reputational loss” that could negatively affect Ukraine's relations with external partners.

“I am only concerned about how to resolve this properly and how we can return this to the correct legal framework to avoid halting contracting and delivery processes and jeopardizing my actions as the head of the agency,” she stated.

Bezrukova also noted that Umerov had publicly supported her during team meetings and had not expressed any concerns regarding the quality of her work.

Anti-corruption activists and lawmakers consider Umerov's decision illegal. Following Umerov's action, the Anti-Corruption Center filed a complaint with NABU to initiate an investigation against Umerov on suspicion of abuse of power.

Moreover, the center claims that the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, is behind all this.

“During Bezrukova's suspension, the responsibilities of the head of the DPA were temporarily assigned to Zhumadilov. On January 25, notary Andriy Lihun changed the data in the state register based on documents submitted by the Ministry of Defense, indicating Zhumadilov as the head of the DPA.

However, if a person is temporarily fulfilling duties, as Zhumadilov is in the DPA, this must be explicitly noted in the register.

Therefore, both at the time of making changes to the state register and now, the director of the DPA is Bezrukova, and her name should be in the register. However, Bezrukova's name was crossed out.

And now for the most interesting part. Who is this notary – Lihun Andriy Ivanovych, who committed a clear violation of the law to register Zhumadilov as the head of the DPA?

In Lihun's biography, it is stated: “volunteer of the NGO ‘Union of Television and Film Industry,’ the founder of which is Andriy Yermak – head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,” the report from the Anti-Corruption Center reads.

Background. Previously, Mind reported that the Ministry of Defense refused to extend the contract of DPA director Marina Bezrukova despite the decision of the Supervisory Board. Umerov stated that the agency would be led by the head of another procurement organization of the Ministry of Defense – Arsen Zhumadilov from the State Rear Operator.