A shake-up in Ukraine’s drone buying alarms corruption watchdogs

Details: Written by: Kollen Post; 18.Dec; Hits: 13

The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers discreetly dethroned the former czar of drone purchases — Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov — as the result of a one-sided power struggle from the Head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, allege observers.A new decree shifted a key office in the drone purchasing process away from Fedorov, and the new leader of the office is, say anti-corruption watchdogs, a yes-man for Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest ally who has attracted controversy over his ever-growing influence and overreach.Critics fear the responsible agency may stop reporting details on over a billion dollars a year of government drone contracts, leaving them vulnerable to embezzlement.Before February 2022, Fedorov was mostly occupied with putting government services onto mobile apps, as well as improving the lives of Ukrainian techies and IT workers.

The Kyiv Independent

The Kyiv Independent is Ukraine’s fastest-growing English-language media outlet, created in November 2021, just three months before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Serve as the bridge between Ukraine and the world, delivering reliable news, context, and on-the-ground reporting.

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At the outset of the war, he was early to spot the increasing use of drones by Ukrainian soldiers to make up for the lack of air power and reconnaissance.From his position at the center of a network of recently militarized techies following Russia’s invasion, Fedorov became the face of a new “army of drones,” a government initiative launched in July 2022 to supply the Ukrainian military with unmanned aerial vehicles.A UJ-22 Airborne (UkrJet) reconnaissance drone, bought in the frame of the program 'The Army of Drones' readies to land during a test flight in the Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine on Aug. 2, 2022, prior to being sent to the front line. (Sergei Supinsky / AFP via Getty Images)The popularity of such drones was slow to break through the traditional defense apparatus.

Content Original Link:

https://kyivindependent.com/a-shake-up-in-ukraines-drone-buying-alarms-corruption-watchdogs/

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