Bezrukova announced that she will continue to serve as the head of AOZ.

The head of the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA), Marina Bezrukova, stated that she remains the head of the agency in accordance with the law, despite the Ministry of Defense's refusal to extend her contract. She made this announcement on Friday, January 24, during a broadcast on Suspilne.   Bezrukova emphasized that her position complies with the law, as the Supervisory Board made a unanimous decision to extend her contract. The draft resolution was sent to the Ministry of Defense.   "All documents are properly executed. Therefore, my position remains unchanged: the DPA operates in accordance with the law and the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," she stated.   The official also noted that she was shocked by the information disclosed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov regarding the non-renewal of her contract. According to Bezrukova, "this looks like an attempt to undermine all the reforms that have been announced and promised to society."   She also mentioned that she last communicated with Minister Umerov a week ago, and no complaints were voiced at that time.   "Some of my legislative initiatives were accepted. Tasks were outlined in accordance with the contracts currently being executed. I repeat: no complaints were voiced to me, just like throughout the previous year. In fact, I am surprised by the situation, because if there had been any information from the minister that I or the agency was doing something wrong, we would certainly have corrected it," Bezrukova explained.   She emphasized that she remains the acting head of the DPA according to the law:   "I believe that announcing a new head is pressuring the Supervisory Board. What is happening is not normal. We can work within a framework of constructive interaction; I always listen to any constructive criticism, and if there are complaints, I ask them to be voiced, and we can resolve this."   Bezrukova stressed that she does not understand how Jumadilov can be appointed as the head of the DPA without violating laws and procedures:   "I truly do not understand how this can be done without violating all possible laws and reforms, all our promises made to our partners who support us, and who are closely monitoring what is currently happening with the DPA and defense procurements."   According to Bezrukova, in 2024, the DPA has reduced or at least maintained average prices on critical nomenclature ammunition by decreasing the share of intermediaries.   As reported, on Friday, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated that he will not extend the contract with Bezrukova. The new director will be the chairman of the State Logistics Operator, Arsen Jumadilov. Deputy Minister Dmitry Klimenko will also be dismissed. Umerov cited "political games, 'leaks' of contracts, 'leaks' of information, PR of inaction, and the failure to fulfill KRI by the subordinate enterprise of the Ministry of Defense" as reasons for the dismissal.   It is worth noting that on Friday, the Supervisory Board of the DPA approved the extension of the contract with director Marina Bezrukova for another year. According to agency information, additional approval from the Ministry of Defense is not required.   As is known, Marina Bezrukova was appointed director of the state enterprise Defense Procurement Agency in January of last year by the relevant order of the Ministry of Defense.