Oleh Uruskiy, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Industries, has stepped down on Nov. 1, as part of yet another ministerial reshuffle that is also expected to replace Defense Minister Andriy Taran.
Taran’s successor will most likely be Oleksiy Reznikov, a Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, who also resigned on Nov. 1.
Iryna Vereshchuk, a lawmaker from Servant of the People party, can take over Reznikov’s vacated office.
“Regarding Reznikov, everyone understands that the defense procurement sector has seriously changed after we passed a new bill on military procurement,” David Arakhamia, head of the ruling 242-seat parliamentary faction Servant of the People, stated on Nov. 1.
“It started working just several months ago. Now the Defense Ministry really needs very swift changes… it needs a turbo mode. So we had to look for an experienced manager that could take charge and introduce the changes.”
“Reznikov has proved its professional and diplomatic skills. He has a very good reputation among the international partners, and we are conducting reforms assisted by NATO nations… so we have made the decision.”
Uruskiy’s issues
Uruskiy filed for voluntary leave, according to Taras Melnychuk, the government’s representative at the Verkhovna Rada.
According to media reports, Uruskiy can be replaced by Pavlo Ryabikin, who currently serves as the head of the State Customs Service.
The Ministry for Strategic Industries was created in late July 2020 to develop and regulate the country’s key state-run industries, such as arms and aircraft production. Watchdogs said the move would preserve the highly-centralized, Soviet-style bureaucratic control of the country’s strategic industries.
Uruskiy’s activities in the office also faced severe criticism, particularly voiced by UkrOboronProm, the country’s defense production giant. In November 2020, the company’s then-leadership team accused the minister of hog-tying corporatization reforms and trying to seize control of the UkrOboronProm’s key enterprises.
Uruskiy repudiated all charges and accused the company’s top management of incompetence and attempts to derail the fulfillment of “tasks stated by the president and enshrined in legislation.”
Read also: UkrOboronProm accuses Strategic Industries Ministry of reform sabotage
Hlib Kanievskyi, the head of anti-graft watchdog StateWatch, said on Nov. 1 that Uruskiy’s activities as minister ended up blocking the UkrOboronProm reform for a year, sabotaging the introduction of new military procurement legislation, and derailing the reform of Ukraine’s State Space Agency.
Uruskiy, however, consistently denied all attempts to resist the sector’s reforms.
His likely successor, Ryabikin, has served ahead of the State Customs Service since late October 2020. Before that, he worked as the director-general with the Boryspil Airport.
According to Arakhamia, Ryabikin will take charge of the Ministry for Strategic Industries but will not replace Uruskiy as deputy prime minister.
Taran’s controversy
According to Arakhamia, the currently serving defense minister, Taran, agreed to leave his office due to health issues.
However, Taran has also faced criticism for allegedly low efficacy, failure to introduce a new military procurement system, and acute conflicts with Armed Forces command.
He was also investigated for corruption. On Oct. 29, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigations charged Taran’s former deputy Ihor Khalimon, with causing losses of Hr 700 million ($26.6 million) to the Armed Forces budget due to shady meal procurement deals. The official also denies all charges.
Time and again, parliamentary groups like the 10-seat faction Holos called for the dismissal of Taran, the 65-year-old retired military general, citing his underperformance and outdated Soviet leadership style.
Taran and the Defense Ministry never reacted to the criticism in the media.
