Defense Procurement Agency not using budget and disrupting deliveries - Myseliuk

At the end of November, a scandal shook the country - by order No. 1191-r, the Cabinet of Ministers transferred UAH 23 billion from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to the Administration of the State Border Guard Service for the purchase of weapons for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the purchase of ammunition from the Polish intermediary company PHU Lechmar Sp.z.o.o.

The transfer of UAH 23 billion from the Ministry of Defense to the State Border Guard Service is a cocktail with a hint of corruption and ... sabotage, writes political scientist Andrii Myseliuk. The desire of some officials to earn money on purchases from a single intermediary supplier successfully coincided with the unprofessionalism of other officials and the unwillingness to allocate our funds for the timely delivery of ammunition.

On December 14, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine commented on the decision regarding such distribution of funds to the publication LIGA.net: at the end of November, the Defense Procurement Agency had UAH 45 billion of unallocated funds.

"Think about it: it's November, and the Defense Procurement Agency still hasn't determined where it will direct 1/7 of its annual budget! The feeling that our defenders are fully provided with drones, ammunition, high-quality mortar shells and everything else," the political scientist writes.

Referring to his own sources in the Ministry of Defense, Myseliuk says that dissatisfaction with the work of Maryna Bezrukova is growing - the Agency not only does not use the funds provided by the budget, but also juggles the needs of the military, concluding contracts only for what affiliated suppliers offer - without regard to terms or prices. "The agency works on the principle: it is better not to use the funds than to buy something from someone else," the Ministry of Defense says.

A critical situation arises again with 120 mm mortar ammunition - this year the Agency contracted more than 1 million mines of this caliber, but the Armed Forces received ... only 35% of the planned volumes. This is despite the fact that the Agency does not stop the supply of "problematic" mines from state-owned factories.

According to available information, the results of 2024 no longer worry Marna Bezrukova - she is now trying to conclude as many contracts for subsequent periods as possible, ensuring herself a successful life after leaving the Ministry of Defense.

Recall that earlier the media reported on disruptions in the supply of ammunition due to problems with the implementation of contracts by state-owned enterprises.