Ukraine's Defence Ministry appoints new head of Defence Procurement Agency

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry has appointed Maryna Bezrukova as the new head of the Defence Procurement Agency.

Source: Ukraine’s Defence Ministry on Telegram

Details: Deputy Defence Minister Dmytro Klimenkov said: "The Defence Ministry is establishing a new procurement architecture, which will root out corruption and meet NATO standards. New management is the first step towards a radical reboot of the Defence Procurement Agency. Our priority is to effectively ensure our soldiers have everything they need, in a timely manner. Without leaving any room for corruption."

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said that Maryna Bezrukova had more than 20 years of experience in supply chain management and working with partners in the US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Between 2017 and 2024, Bezrukova worked at Ukrenergo, a Ukrainian electricity transmission system operator, as a board member and supply chain director, among other positions. At Ukrenergo, Bezrukova developed and implemented modern procurement policies based on the principles of transparency, efficiency, and distribution of authority, the ministry said.

Ukrenergo was one of the first state-owned enterprises that transferred all its procurement to ProZorro, a Ukrainian online public procurement system; designated a group of authorised persons responsible for procurement; established a supply chain department with directors responsible for different kinds of procurement; and introduced additional internal audit and compliance measures.

As a result, procurement costs fell on average by 14%, average procurement time reduced by 20%, and the procurement team improved their skills and qualifications.

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said that new management is the first step towards rebooting the Defence Procurement Agency. The next step will be to create an Oversight Council comprising internationally established management professionals.

Vitalii Shabunin, Head of the Center for Combating Corruption, said that Bezrukova was "one of the best candidates for this role".

Shabunin said that "corruptioneers" had attempted to prevent Bezrukova’s appointment.

Bezrukova will replace Volodymyr Pikuzo as the head of the Defence Procurement Agency. Pikuzo had headed the agency since August 2022 but was removed from the role in early January 2024 amid a corruption scandal. Oksana Shchybria temporarily held the post of the head of the agency until Bezrukova’s appointment.

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