The existing system for monitoring defense procurement is not working – experts emphasize the need for reform
Kyiv • UNN
The full-scale war in Ukraine has been ongoing for over four years, yet despite this, the system for monitoring procurement for the defense sector has still not been properly established. Moreover, there is a lack of systematic oversight of the field and preventive detection of violations.
Ukraine's defense procurement control system remains reactive and selective. High-profile cases involving billions in embezzlement or the supply of low-quality weaponry to the army, which begin with loud media coverage, drag on for years without real verdicts. Military expert Dmytro Sniehyriov stated this in a comment to UNN.
These are absolutely selective reactions. Moreover, they are reactions only when information goes public through the media or statements by public figures. Everything else remains practically outside the zone of attention,
The expert cites the situation with the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant, which supplied the Armed Forces of Ukraine with over 233,000 defective 120mm mortar shells, as one of the most striking examples of the current control system's failure. These are munitions that were supplied directly to the Avdiivka-Pokrovsk direction in 2024 during an active Russian offensive.
According to the investigation, the plant's management signed a contract with the Defense Procurement Agency without having the necessary components for production. To fulfill the state order, they used cheaper materials unsuitable for combat use, which rendered the ammunition effectively unusable at the front.
The expert points out that the supply of defective ammunition became possible due to systemic problems in military acceptance and the lack of real control at all stages of production and supply.
The special services turned a blind eye, the Ministry of Defense turned a blind eye, and even the military units that received this junk turned a blind eye. Imagine the scale of this chain,
He cited the case regarding the procurement of drones and electronic warfare (EW) systems involving the former head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Haidai, as another example of the lack of proper control.
This refers to a case in which the NABU and SAP reported in August 2025 the exposure of an organized group that, according to investigators, purchased drones and EW systems at inflated prices, returning part of the funds to the scheme participants. Among the suspects are the former head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Serhiy Haidai, People's Deputy from 'Servant of the People' Oleksiy Kuznetsov, the head of the Rubizhne Military Administration, and representatives of military structures.
NABU advertised it. But what next? The person is free. There was an entire criminal group involving a People's Deputy and representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. And what happens next?
Despite the loud start of the case and the arrests, there is still no conviction in the proceedings.
Even if there is publicity, the reaction is practically zero. Not a single corrupt official has faced real punishment,
Furthermore, the problem lies not only in the corruption schemes themselves but also in the fact that law enforcement agencies react to them only after state losses are counted in the hundreds of millions, and the consequences are felt directly by Ukrainian soldiers at the front.
Military expert Oleh Zhdanov holds a similar view. He emphasizes that after the restriction of publicity in defense procurement, full public control over the use of funds in this area has effectively disappeared.
After the liquidation of the Prozorro procedure (publicity of defense procurement – ed.), there is no control at all from the public, because all procurement went into the shadows behind the fence of the Ministry of Defense. And today, there is a very large shadow component in these procurements,
According to Zhdanov, the lack of open control could be partially compensated for by creating a separate mechanism or a specialized committee that would regularly hear from Ministry of Defense representatives regarding the justification of procurements and the fulfillment of requests from the military.
We separated the Ministry of Defense from the General Staff for this very purpose – the General Staff handles the war and forms requests, and the Ministry of Defense must ensure their fulfillment,
As a reminder
Despite the change in leadership at the Ministry of Defense and public statements about the need to clean up the defense procurement system, global changes in this area have not yet occurred. Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, stated this earlier.
According to him, the defense procurement system needs strengthened control and reform, especially in conditions where Ukraine receives tens of billions of euros in international defense assistance.