Rustem Umerov could be guilty of abuse of power for meddling in the procurement system, the organization has said
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is under investigation for alleged abuse of power, a non-governmental anti-corruption watchdog has announced. The defense chief has been under fire over his decision to dismiss the head of the country’s independent Defense Procurement Agency (DPA).
The controversy comes as Ukraine continues to grapple with endemic corruption, which has been a major cause for concern for Kiev’s Western backers.
In a statement on Monday, the US- and EU-funded Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) said the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) had opened a case against Umerov based on its complaint, adding that the minister could be involved in “abuse of power or official position.” If found guilty, Umerov could face three to six years in prison.
According to the AntAC, the allegations stem from Umerov’s refusal to extend the contract of Marina Bezrukova, the director of the DPA. Established in 2022 and modeled on NATO standards, the agency is independent of the Ukrainian military and is designed to eliminate conflicts of interest and maximize transparency in the procurement process.
The AntAC previously argued that by cracking down on the DPA, Umerov was attempting to undermine NATO-style defense procurement reforms that were designed to protect the country from the “corruption hell” of previous years.
Umerov has been a fierce critic of the DPA, claiming that “instead of timely delivery of ammunition to our army,” the agency has been mired in “political games” and has nonchalantly allowed egregious leaks of sensitive information.
“Weapon procurements, which should remain confidential during martial law and the full-scale war with Russia, have somehow turned into an Amazon, where every internet user can see in real time who is buying what and in what quantities,” he said. Ukrainian media also claimed that the DPA enjoys considerable political backing from interest groups linked to Western policymakers, particularly the US Democratic Party.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has faced multiple corruption scandals in recent years, with former Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov stepping down in 2023 amid a scandal involving overpriced food contracts for the military.
Ukraine has long struggled to combat corruption, with the EU making progress in this regard a condition for Kiev to join the bloc. The US Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has also sounded the alarm over the issue, saying in May 2024 that the conflict with Russia “created new opportunities for corruption, including bribes, kickbacks, and inflated procurement costs.”
Moscow has warned that weapons deliveries to Ukraine only prolong the conflict without changing the outcome.
