The head of Ukraine's 🇺🇦 state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom is being replaced. According to a detailed story by Ekonomichna Pravda, the writing has been on the wall for months. Former head Yuriy Gusev has been replaced by Herman Smetanin, head of Kharkiv's Malyshev Plant./1 pic.twitter.com/O50li4MF8A
— Crimson (@CrimsonInquiry) June 26, 2023
The accusations from sources in the article are fairly incriminating:
— Crimson (@CrimsonInquiry) June 26, 2023
"Exactly three months after the appointment of Kamyshin as the head of the Ministry of Strategy and Industry, it became known that there was no longer a place for Gusev in the 'working team' of 'defense'." /3
"Same story with ATGMs. Over the last month, we tripled the production of "Stugn". This is a cool complex, which was simply not produced in normal quantities, although we are at war. And now they are producing, so it was possible," /5 pic.twitter.com/0HxOjueadk
— Crimson (@CrimsonInquiry) June 26, 2023
"There are also no Oplot tanks, which should have become a working base for the Armed Forces alongside Western equipment. They made one, went for a ride on it, told about the purchase for the Armed Forces, but no one even inquired whether we can produce them and when." /7 pic.twitter.com/IyOa38CFhy
— Crimson (@CrimsonInquiry) June 26, 2023
According the piece, this will be the first time since the fall of the USSR that Ukroboronprom will be run by someone with a native defense production background. Smetanin is also notable for his youth: 31 years old at present — after he became the head of Malyshev at 28. /9
— Crimson (@CrimsonInquiry) June 26, 2023
According to Ukrainska Pravda, Zelenskyy has given the new Ukroboronprom head three main tasks:
— Crimson (@CrimsonInquiry) June 26, 2023
1) "To increase the production of all weapons"
2) "To cleanse the industry of corruption"
3) "To complete the reform of the defense industry" https://t.co/L1yom9TaWE /11