Ukraine’s Minister of Defense is suspected of abuse of power: NABU has opened a criminal case

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has opened a case against Defense Minister Rustem Umerov following a complaint by the “Center for Combating Corruption.”

This information was reported by the Center for Combating Corruption itself.

However, NABU has not yet officially confirmed the opening of the case, and Umerov’s status in it remains unclear.

It is possible that NABU has merely registered a criminal case based on the Center’s complaint. This does not necessarily mean that Umerov will become a suspect or acquire any procedural status, nor does it guarantee that the case will be actively investigated.

The Center for Combating Corruption, which operates on Western grants, filed its complaint after Umerov dismissed Marina Bezrukova, the head of the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA). The organization alleges that the minister unlawfully refused to extend her contract for another year, thereby abusing his authority or official position (Article 364, Part 2, of the Ukrainian Criminal Code).

Umerov also dismissed two members of the supervisory board who had voted to extend Bezrukova’s contract.

Previously, the DPA’s supervisory board had renewed Bezrukova’s contract, but Umerov later announced his decision to dismiss her, citing failures in arms procurement for the military. He appointed Arsen Zhumadilov, head of the State Logistics Operator, as the new head of the agency. Zhumadilov has already stated that he is assuming his duties.

Notably, the Defense Procurement Agency leadership was supported by grant-funded organizations close to the U.S. Democratic Party, such as Shabunin’s Anti-Corruption Action Center. It was this Center that filed the complaint with NABU against Umerov.

The deputy head of the Defense Procurement Agency, Artem Sytnyk, a former NABU head, is also aligned with the Democratic Party in the U.S.

Previously, media reports suggested that a change of power in Washington could significantly weaken the influence in Ukraine of groups linked to grant organizations and the U.S. Democratic Party.

In this context, the outcome of the struggle over the leadership of the Defense Procurement Agency will be a telling indicator of whether the influence of Democratic Party-aligned structures and activists in Ukraine has waned following Donald Trump’s return to power in the United States.