KYIV: Ukraine’s government on Tuesday sacked a deputy defense minister in charge of weapons purchases amid infighting over procurement that is complicating Kyiv’s attempt to reassure key Western partners at a critical moment in the war with Russia.
The dispute burst into the open last week after Defense Minister Rustem Umerov criticized Ukraine’s arms procurement effort as having failed to deliver results for frontline troops.
Ukraine has sought to clean up defense spending as the war grinds toward its fourth year, an effort that has taken on greater importance as US President Donald Trump considers whether to continue supporting Kyiv’s military.
As well as requesting Dmytro Klimenkov’s removal, Umerov leveled particular criticism at the Defense Procurement Agency, which coordinates weapons purchases for Ukraine’s outgunned military.
The agency was established after a series of allegations earlier in the war of ministry misspending, and has aimed to cut out intermediaries and minimize the risk of corruption.
In a statement on Friday, Umerov said it had “inexplicably transformed into an ‘Amazon’” and its purchases were too publicly visible. Ukraine has long sought to keep details of arms procurement a closely guarded secret.
Umerov also said that he would not renew a contract with agency chief Maryna Bezrukova, a reformer whose appointment last year had been applauded by Kyiv’s Western partners. He pledged to install a new director.
The agency said in response that it had made “significant progress” in boosting supply and lowering prices, and that it would continue working under Bezrukova.
The standoff comes as Ukrainian troops face Russian advances across swathes of the east. Both sides are attempting to gain a battlefield edge ahead of any potential peace talks, but Kyiv’s defenses are buckling amid a shortage of men and weapons.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western partners to keep arms flowing to Ukraine. The defense ministry’s own anti-corruption council, comprised of elected civic activists, said the infighting could compromise that effort.
“We believe the current situation is harmful to Ukraine, the Ukrainian military and our international relations,” it said on Saturday. “We must be clear and predictable for partners.”
In a statement on Monday, G7 diplomats in Ukraine urged officials to quickly resolve the dispute.
“Consistency with good governance principles and NATO recommendations is important to maintain the trust of public and international partners,” they wrote.
Top Ukrainian defense official sacked amid infighting over procurement
https://arab.news/jdtzk
Top Ukrainian defense official sacked amid infighting over procurement
- Ukraine has sought to clean up defense spending as the war grinds toward its fourth year
- As well as requesting Dmytro Klimenkov’s removal, Umerov leveled particular criticism at the Defense Procurement Agency
Indonesia to make halal certification mandatory from October
- Indonesia’s halal certifying body has issued certification for 9.6 million products
- Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is seeking to become a global halal hub
JAKARTA: Indonesia will enforce mandatory certification for all halal products from October 2026, the country's certifying body said, to increase its competitiveness in the global market.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation and Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, is seeking to strengthen its role in the growing global market for halal products, which was worth about $2.43 trillion in 2023, according to the latest State of the Global Islamic Economy Report.
Most consumer goods and restaurants in Indonesia, including imported products, are required to have halal labeling by Oct. 17.
The regulation applies to all types of businesses, including small and medium companies, and covers food and beverage products, herbal medicines and health supplements, cosmetics, and a range of other everyday items.
“Halal certification should be positioned as a competitive advantage, a pillar of consumer protection, and a driver of inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” Ahmad Haikal, chief of the halal certifying body BPJPH, said in a statement this week.
“Halal is customer satisfaction. Halal represents product hygiene, health, safety and quality. As such, today halal is seen as a market requirement, not just a mere regulation.”
The first phase of Indonesia’s halal certification requirement was enforced in October 2024 and initially applied only to big businesses, including major global food producers such as Unilever and Nestle.
Under the law adopted in 2014, the compulsory halal certification will be expanded to include more types of drugs in the coming years, while products or restaurants without halal certification are required to declare they do not comply with Islamic law.
Islamic law prohibits consumption of pork or intoxicants such as alcohol, while meat can only be eaten if the animals were slaughtered by prescribed methods.
There are 9.6 million halal-certified products across Indonesia as of October last year, according to data from BPJPH.
The halal certifying body has been working with its foreign counterparts, including in Russia, the US and China, to boost exports of Indonesian products and strengthen the global halal ecosystem, Haikal said.
“The ultimate objective is to make Indonesian halal products more competitive in the global market and position Indonesia as the world’s halal hub.”
