The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has completed the audit of the Agency for Defense Procurement (AOP) for the first half of 2024. The check has found a number of serious problems that adversely affect the provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the necessary resources.
The head of the department Alexander Titkovsky told about it in an exclusive comment "Babel".
According to the audit, 70% of AOP contracts were supplied in 2024, another 30% in 2025-2026. However, much of the goods that were to come this year were not set on time. This caused serious problems with providing the front with the necessary materials.
The Ministry of Defense also drew attention to the lack of a systematic approach to the selection of suppliers. AOZ does not have a single base of weapons and military equipment that would cover the international market. Although the agency's representatives say that such a database exists, the auditors have found that it is conducted in Excel tables and there is no specialized software to work with suppliers.
Another serious problem is the inefficient system of accounting and analysis of commercial proposals. Due to the lack of a unified mechanism for assessing risky suppliers and the risk management of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Defense could not obtain an objective assessment of the supply companies, in particular the Ukrainian plant, which did not fulfill the contract for the supply of ammunition.
In addition, the absence of clear algorithms for the selection of suppliers and preparation of contracts has led to the fact that much of the procurement was carried out through intermediaries. According to auditors, 45% of AOP contracts in the first half of 2024 were concluded with importing enterprises, and 24% with one special exporter who had problematic relations with the Ministry of Defense.
In addition to systematic supply problems, the auditors found that the agency purchased goods at high prices for state funds. According to the results of the inspection, the Defense Ministry submitted its recommendations and plans to check if they were fulfilled.
Another key claim to AOP is a long -term process of signing contracts. In 2024, only 29% of budgetary funds spent on new contracts for which the supplies took place in the same year. 21% of the funds went to closure contracts in 2023, 44% - for contracts with deliveries in 2025, 5% were overdue contracts without deliveries, and 1% of funds were not used at all and returned to the budget.
What will change after the audit?
The audit became an important signal for the Ministry of Defense about the need to reform AOP. At the same time, according to media data, in the second half of 2024 the situation began to change. The number of direct contracts with manufacturers has increased significantly, in particular with international companies. Most of the mediators' agreements were concluded in 2023, before the arrival of the current AOP management.
The Ministry of Defense expects that the agency will comply with all audit recommendations, reduce delays in supply and introduce effective mechanisms for the selection of suppliers. This should improve the defense procurement system and provide the Ukrainian army with the necessary weapons in the shortest possible time.
We will remind, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov announced a large -scale personnel changes in the Ministry of Defense, which was affected by Deputy Minister Dmitry Klimenkov, Head of the Defense Procurement Agency (AOZ) of Marina Bezrukova and state representatives in the supervisory board of the agency. The reason for this decision was the unsatisfactory provision of the front with the necessary resources.
However, the defense procurement agency stated that it would continue to work under the direction of Marina Bezrukova, despite the decision of the Minister of Defense.
At the same time, the Corruption Center (CPC) filed an application for NABU on Rustem Umerov's actions, accusing him of abuse of power and interference with the activities of the AOP Supervisory Board.
In the end, the National Anti -Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) opened criminal proceedings against the Minister of Defense, which caused resonance in political circles.
However, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine later corrected the registration changes on the management of SE “Defense Procurement Agency” (AOP) after the Ministry of Defense's request. According to the decision, Marina Bezrukov remains a director, but removed from office at the time of official investigation, and Arsen Zhumadilov officially performs the duties of the manager with the corresponding restriction.
