The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is actively working to combat corrupt procurement schemes, utilizing polygraph tests for employees and dismissing individuals from their posts, Mykhailo Fedorov Defense Minister announced.
"We caught people who were leaking the substance of conversations involving a key procurer for the Defense Ministry’s Defense Procurement Agency. They were telling private companies why or how certain firms were excluded from procurements, what issues existed with them, or generally what was discussed during those meetings. In other words, these individuals were specifically representing the interests of private companies," Fedorov said in an interview with the PRESSING YouTube channel, produced jointly with Armia Media.
According to him, the Ministry of Defense conducted internal investigations, subjected personnel to lie detector tests, and "made and continues to make specific personnel decisions regarding these individuals." Fedorov also noted that during his first week in office, he held meetings with the heads of all law enforcement agencies.
"I obtained briefings and looked into the perspective of virtually every law enforcement agency in our country regarding what is happening within the Ministry of Defense. Wherever a first and last name matched– concerning the Defense Procurement Agency procurer and the Ministry of Defense itself– I suggested that everyone take a polygraph test. Some individuals refused and were immediately dismissed; some took it and were subsequently dismissed; while others passed and remained on the job," he explained.
The minister emphasized that "on the surface, there were a vast number of varying interests from different companies and individuals." At the same time, he stressed the necessity of changing the "foundation of these problems," which is why the Ministry of Defense is currently transitioning to competitive tenders for procurements.
"We conducted the first tender for artillery, specifically for long-range 155mm ammunition. Now we are transitioning to the first large-scale tender regarding drones. We will be purchasing 150,000 mid-strike drones through competitive bidding. We need to build institutionally sound mechanisms so that this system operates without manual intervention and without my subjective assessment of who is corrupt and who is not," he noted.
Furthermore, Fedorov shared that he held a conversation via Zoom with personnel from across the Defense Ministry’s ecosystem, as it was physically impossible to gather thousands of employees in one place. According to the head of the ministry, he sent a clear signal to everyone that he would react harshly to any schemes or attempts to profit off procurements.
"...For anyone who sticks their nose into corrupt stories, builds schemes, or attempts to champion private or personal interests, I will personally do everything to ensure that you go to prison and do not get out. I will personally handle every single person who does this. Overall, this approach has worked quite well, as I have seen the culture begin to shift at every level. However, of course, proper systemic processes must be put in place," he emphasized.
Responding to a question regarding whether individuals faced further accountability after being dismissed, Fedorov stated that law enforcement agencies are currently building cases against certain individuals.
"It is possible that investigations regarding these individuals were already underway prior to this, considering that I had met with law enforcement earlier and was briefed on the systemic problems existing within the Ministry of Defense. There are also other forms of punishment if it is simply a matter of leaking information, depending on the situation. But first and foremost, of course, these individuals must be dismissed, and then law enforcement must deal with them," Fedorov said.
When asked to clarify whether anyone had already been imprisoned for corruption as a result of the audits, Fedorov stated: "It does not happen that quickly, but I hope someone will be imprisoned. More precisely, I am certain that someone will definitely go to prison."
