The Defense Procurement Agency reported pressure on its supervisory board: here's what we know.

The Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) is reporting pressure on its supervisory board and is refusing to acknowledge the leadership change announced by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine citing a statement from the DPA on its Facebook page.

On Thursday, January 23, the supervisory board of the DPA reached a unanimous decision to extend the contract of the current director, Maria Bezrukova. However, yesterday the defense minister stated that this contract would not be extended. Instead of Bezrukova, Umerov announced that Arsen Jumadilov, who is currently the director of the State Logistics Operator, would lead the DPA. At the same time, the minister announced the withdrawal of state representatives from the supervisory board.

"The DPA continues to operate under Bezrukova's leadership, as only the supervisory board has the authority to extend or terminate the director's contract. This aligns with both Ukrainian law and the latest version of the Agency's charter. To date, the DPA's supervisory board remains legitimate, even despite the minister's announcement regarding the withdrawal of two state representatives who have shown an independent stance," the DPA stated.

Meanwhile, the DPA considers the announcement of a new agency leader as "a direct manifestation of pressure on the supervisory board and an attempt to replace independent corporate governance with a manual mode."

"This constitutes an unprecedented violation of all prior agreements between the Ministry of Defense, civil society, and international partners, who are particularly funding the production of Ukrainian weapons under the Danish model," the DPA added.

Recall that along with the changes in the Defense Procurement Agency, the defense minister also announced the dismissal of his deputy Dmitry Klimenkov yesterday. The minister explained his decision by stating that arms procurement during the war had allegedly been complicated by political games, "leaks" of contracts, and the PR of inaction.