Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk has won the open competition for the post of Director General of the joint-stock company Ukrainian Defence Industry. The Ukroboronprom press service reported the relevant decision by the supervisory board.
The search, selection and preliminary assessment of candidates was carried out by the Ukrainian office of the international company Amrop Partnership. The supervisory board made the decision to appoint the new Director General following the competitive selection process and final interviews with candidates.
“Ivan Havryliuk has many years of experience in military service, management and work in the defence sector. His professional background and deep understanding of the needs of Ukraine’s Defence Forces are important prerequisites for the development of Ukroboronprom, expanding the production capabilities of its enterprises and strengthening the state’s defence-industrial complex,” the statement said.
The competition for the Director General post was announced after Herman Smetanin’s resignation in the summer of this year. He left the position after explosions at depots in Vyshneve caused by a Russian strike.
Ivan Havryliuk served as First Deputy Minister of Defence, but resigned in April 2026 after a public accusation by then minister Rustem Umerov of theft in weapons procurement, Espreso reports.
After his post at the Ministry of Defence, he became an adviser on the defence-industrial complex to First Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
He has a military education and, from 1992 to 2014, served in roles including platoon commander, deputy chief of staff of the Rocket Forces and Artillery Department, and corps chief of staff and chief of logistics. From 2014 to 2018 he was Chief of Logistics of the Armed Forces. Later, until 2020, he headed the Armed Forces’ Main Logistics Directorate and served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In 2020 he transferred to the reserve and, until 2022, was an adviser to the Commander of the Logistics Forces. From 24 February he returned to military service. He was head of the communications and information systems directorate of the штаб of the Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Logistics Forces.
From September 2022 to October 2023, he served as Deputy Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, and in October 2023, by a Cabinet of Ministers decision, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defence.