The Ukrainian Defense Minister is suspected of abusing his power.

It has been reported that the minister unlawfully refused to extend the contract of Marina Bezrukova, the director of the defense procurement agency, for another year, blaming her for the army's supply issues. Umerov also dismissed two members of the supervisory board who voted in favor of extending the contract. The establishment of supervisory boards for defense procurement agencies was a fundamental recommendation from NATO to protect these structures from external pressures.

Earlier, member of the Verkhovna Rada Anastasia Radina called for Umerov's resignation. In her opinion, the Minister of Defense is undermining the trust of Ukrainians in the defense agency.

At the beginning of December, the Verkhovna Rada supported a summons for Umerov to report regarding allegations of the Ukrainian military receiving substandard mines produced by "Ukroboronprom."

Umerov has held the position of Minister of Defense since September 2023. He replaced Oleksii Reznikov, whose resignation was attributed to corruption scandals related to state procurement for the army. Investigations led to the dismissal of several high-ranking officials, including deputy ministers of defense.