Key facts
- Ukroboronprom said Havryliuk's military and management experience would help expand production capacity and strengthen the military-industrial complex.
- Ukroboronprom said the appointment followed an open competition conducted by the Ukrainian office of Amrop Partnership, an executive search network.
- Ukroboronprom comprises around 100 enterprises making missiles, drones, armored vehicles and ammunition.
- Havryliuk resigned as first deputy defense minister on April 11, 2025, amid a scandal over the ministry's handling of defense procurement.
- Havryliuk was dismissed from the first deputy defense minister post on May 20, 2026, by then-Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
- Smetanin did not specify the reasons for his departure, which followed the July 6 depot explosion and a government reshuffle.
Ukroboronprom said on November 3 that it had appointed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk, a former first deputy defense minister, to lead the state-owned defense company. The company said his military and management experience, and his understanding of Ukraine's military needs, would help expand production capacity and strengthen the military-industrial complex.
Ukroboronprom said the appointment followed an open competition conducted by the Ukrainian office of Amrop Partnership, an executive search and leadership advisory network. The position had been vacant since Herman Smetanin announced on July 14 that he was stepping down as head of the company.
Smetanin's departure followed a controversy over a deadly explosion at one of Ukroboronprom's ammunition depots during a Russian attack on the Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve on July 6. The incident prompted an investigation into alleged violations of ammunition storage regulations and led to the dismissal of two senior Ukroboronprom officials. Smetanin did not specify the reasons for his departure, which also came as parliament dismissed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko earlier on July 14.
Havryliuk served in the military from 1992 until his retirement in 2020, heading the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Logistics Forces and serving as deputy chief of the General Staff from 2018 to 2020. He returned to service after Russia's full-scale invasion and was appointed deputy defense minister in October 2023, then first deputy defense minister in May 2024 with responsibility for procurement. He resigned voluntarily on April 11, 2025, amid a scandal over the ministry's handling of defense procurement, was reappointed by then-Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal on July 25, 2025, and was dismissed again on May 20, 2026, by then-Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Ukroboronprom, also known as the Ukrainian Defense Industry, is Ukraine's largest state-owned defense manufacturer. The conglomerate comprises around 100 enterprises involved in the development and production of weapons, military equipment and ammunition, including missiles, drones, armored vehicles and other defense systems.