Rustem Umierov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, has stated that no one influenced him during his time as defence minister. He acknowledged that he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's close friend Tymur Mindich regarding a body armour contract, but the contract was terminated because the goods did not meet the required standards.

Source: Umierov on Facebook

Quote: "Any attempts to link my work at the Ministry of Defence with the 'influence' of certain individuals are unfounded.

As minister, I regularly met with manufacturers and suppliers of equipment and weapons, as well as with lobbyists and other stakeholders.

In particular, there was a meeting with Tymur Mindich, during which the issue of body armour under a specific contract was raised."

Details: Umierov noted that the contract was eventually terminated due to the product's failure to meet the required standards, and no goods were delivered.

Background:

• Mindich is alleged to have exerted influence over former energy minister Herman Halushchenko and former defence minister Rustem Umierov. The allegation was made by the prosecution during the hearing of a petition brought by a National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) detective seeking the detention of Ihor Myroniuk, a suspect in the investigation into corruption at the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom.
• On 11 November, Umierov arrived in Türkiye to work on unblocking the prisoner swap process so that Ukrainian prisoners of war can be brought home from Russian captivity.

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