The news of arrests and criminal cases that Ukrainians have been witnessing recently are changes that will become more noticeable. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov made this statement on Facebook.
The head of the defense department emphasized that one of the priorities of his team is to cleanse the system of dishonest participants, both within the ministry and externally. The Ministry of Defense is actively working on this.
"In close cooperation with law enforcement agencies, we eradicate manifestations of corruption. The system resists, but we will overcome it," Umierov noted.
He mentioned that in the last four months, internal audits and the updated General Inspection of the Ministry of Defense have identified violations amounting to over 10 billion.
"We respond harshly to all cases. We closely cooperate with law enforcement and special services. We provide colleagues with all the necessary information," assured the minister.
Umerov reminded that in December, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine, they eliminated a corrupt scheme for purchasing ammunition for the Armed Forces worth almost 1.5 billion hryvnias.
He stated that the mentioned figures are only what can be publicly disclosed at the moment, and more news is yet to come.
Umerov informed that the ministry is already working on a systemic solution to the problem, including the implementation of a new procurement architecture based on NATO standards. They are restructuring procurement mechanisms to ensure uninterrupted supply of weapons and logistics to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"From now on, the Ministry of Defense sets the rules, formulates policies, and controls the tenders," emphasized the head of the department.
He pointed out that recently, two specialized agencies handle procurement. One of them, the State Logistics Operator, will purchase logistical property for the Armed Forces, including food, clothing, and fuel.
"We are overhauling the 'Defense Procurement Agency,' which specializes in the purchase of weapons. There are already specific results. Over the four months, we managed to save about 3.5 billion hryvnias in all logistical purchases. This is approximately 20% of the planned procurement budget," the minister reported.
Among other things, he added that the Ministry of Defense, for the first time, purchased 50 thousand sets of women's uniforms, 100 thousand electric heaters, and 15 thousand active headsets.
Negotiations were conducted with the supplier of the latter to reduce the price, resulting in an additional saving of 11.7 million hryvnias of state funds.
"Thank you to representatives of civil society for being on our side and helping in the fight against corruption. We have a single goal – to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible," emphasized Umerov.
