Herman Smetanin has resigned as General Director of Ukroboronprom, Ukraine’s state-owned conglomerate, announcing his departure just a week after a Russian strike detonated an ammunition depot at one of the company’s facilities in Vyshneve.
Smetanin announced his resignation on Tuesday, without specifying the reason for his departure. The move follows a Russian strike on the Kyiv region on July 6, which triggered secondary detonations at a Ukroboronprom ammunition depot in Vyshneve.
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“Today I am concluding my work as General Director of the Joint-Stock Company ‘Ukrainian Defense Industry,’” Smetanin said, adding that “it has been an honor for me to lead Ukraine’s largest defense company.”
Ukroboronprom’s Supervisory Board has now launched a competitive selection process for a new General Director, with the Deputy Defense Minister Serhiy Boyev serving as acting director in the meantime, according to UNN.
Authorities dismissed over depot blast
Ukroboronprom said it is committed to upholding “the principle of inevitability of accountability,” following a preliminary investigation into the Vyshneve explosion. The company confirmed that it had dismissed the heads of two state enterprises found to have violated ammunition storage regulations, along with other authorities whose actions or negligence may have contributed to the explosion.
According to the company, it is fully cooperating with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and other investigative bodies, and those found responsible will face criminal liability in addition to their dismissal.
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Currently, Ukroboronprom oversees roughly 100 enterprises that design and manufacture weapons, drones, ammunition, and armored vehicles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Smetanin’s second departure from his position
Smetanin first led Ukroboronprom from 2023 to 2024 before being appointed Ukraine’s strategic industries minister. Following a government reshuffle, he returned to the role in the summer of 2025.
His resignation adds to a broader wave of change in Ukraine’s leadership, coming on the same day parliament dismissed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko from her role.
Smetanin thanked President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Cabinet of Ministers, alongside a list of security and defense agencies. He also thanked colleagues at organizations such as the Ukrainian Council of Gunsmiths, the League of Defense Enterprises of Ukraine, and Brave1.
“I would also like to thank colleagues with whom we often had to find solutions under extremely tight deadlines, and sometimes – quite literally overnight – assemble, machine, or weld something,” he said, adding that he wishes the new leadership “continued success in fulfilling this important national mission.”
Russian strikes on Kyiv and the region
The explosion at the ammunition depot occurred during one of Russia’s aerial assaults on Kyiv, with reportedly 68 missiles and more than 350 drones striking the capital and surrounding area overnight.
The barrage killed at least 27 people and injured nearly 100 more across Kyiv and the region, prompting the Cabinet of Ministers to allocate emergency state reserve funds to help Vyshneve recover.
More than 600 residents were evacuated from the town after secondary detonations continued for hours following the strike, forcing rescuers to pause work at the site until the blasts subsided. Residents reported hearing loud explosions throughout the morning, with several describing shockwaves forceful enough to shake apartment buildings.
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