The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has appointed Herman Smetanin to the post of Director General of JSC Ukrainian Defense Industry (Ukroboronprom), the Ministry for Strategic Industries said in a statement.

"By the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, a new head of the joint-stock company Ukrainian Defense Industry has been appointed for a period until the creation of the Supervisory Board and holding a competition for this position. The order comes into force on June 28, 2023," the ministry said.

Smetanin has nine years of experience in the military-industrial complex. The main focus of his work will be a multiple increase in the production of weapons and military equipment.

According to the Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleksandr Kamyshin, the change of leadership of the largest state-owned enterprise in the defense industry is one of the first significant steps to reform the concern, the ministry said.

"The newly appointed Director General has three main tasks: to increase the production capacity of Ukrainian weapons and ammunition, to build an effective anti-corruption infrastructure, and to truly reform Ukroboronprom. These are crucial steps to implement "iron changes" in the field of domestic defense production. Together we will be able to strengthen the defense industry, significantly increase the volume and pace of production, and, as a result, make it the locomotive of the country's economic recovery," the press service quoted Kamyshin as saying.

Ukrainian Defense Industry, headed by Smetanin, "accepts everything that Ukroboronprom had on the balance sheet and the staff."