Ivan Havryliuk named head of Ukraine’s Ukroboronprom

Ukraine’s Ukroboronprom has appointed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk to lead the state-owned defense manufacturer, the company said in a Nov. 3 statement. Havryliuk previously oversaw procurement as the country’s first deputy defense minister.

The company said the selection followed an open competition run by Amrop Partnership’s Ukrainian office. It said Havryliuk’s management and military experience, together with his knowledge of military requirements, would help it expand production and strengthen Ukraine’s defense industry.

The leadership post had remained unfilled since Herman Smetanin announced his departure on July 14. His resignation followed controversy over a fatal ammunition depot explosion during Russia’s July 6 attack on Vyshneve, a suburb of Kyiv. An investigation into alleged breaches of ammunition storage rules followed, and two senior company officials were dismissed. Smetanin gave no reason for leaving.

Havryliuk’s military career began in 1992 and continued until his 2020 retirement. He led the Armed Forces’ Logistics Forces and held the post of deputy General Staff chief from 2018 to 2020. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion, he returned to service, becoming a deputy defense minister in October 2023.

He became first deputy minister in May 2024 but resigned voluntarily on April 11, 2025, amid a procurement scandal. Denys Shmyhal, then defense minister, restored him to that role on July 25, 2025. Another defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, dismissed him on May 20, 2026.

Also called the Ukrainian Defense Industry, Ukroboronprom is the country’s largest state-owned defense manufacturer. Around 100 enterprises belong to the group, developing and producing ammunition, weapons and military equipment, including drones, missiles and armored vehicles.