Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Maryana Bezugla publicly called on representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in particular Minister Rustem Umyerov, and individual people's deputies to cover up corruption schemes in the defense sector. The statements came amid accusations of opacity and abuse during procurement and interference with the work of anti-corruption agencies.
People's deputy Maryana Bezugla claims that a number of people's deputies, in particular the head of the national security committee Oleksandr Zavitnevich, are helping the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umyerov in "crushing" corruption schemes in the Ministry of Defense.
According to her, Zavitnevich actively supports the activities of the State Export Control Service, which is headed by his confidant, Pavlichenko.
Bezugla also mentioned the influential people in Umyerov's team, in particular Deputy Minister Klimenkov, who was given control over all resource issues in the Ministry of Defense. She reported that due to the refusal to participate in the schemes, the functionality of the anti-corruption head of the procurement agency Bezrukova was limited, and the Supervisory Board, which should ensure transparency, is still not functioning.
According to her, the temporary special commission of the Verkhovna Rada, which is supposed to oversee military-technical assistance, supports Minister Umyerov, in particular through deputy Oleksandra Ustinova, who recommended him for the position and helps him in front of international partners.
Bezugla also appealed to President Volodymyr Zelensky, pointing to a possible "circular guarantee" among political figures.
