Defense scandal: what is known about the appointment of a 24-year-old arms export manager
27 June 2025 08:32
kateryna Mykhalko, 24, the executive director of the Technological Forces of Ukraine (TSU), an arms export and advocacy organization for private defense industry producers, has found herself at the center of a high-profile scandal. Members of Parliament Oleksiy Honcharenko and Mariana Bezuhla publicly questioned her rapid career growth, which led to a strong reaction both in society and in the media. In response, Mikhalko and the TSU issued statements accusing critics of political attacks and attempts to discredit young leaders. [ Kommersant has collected all the information that is currently known.
The beginning of the conflict: questions about Mikhalko’s career
on June 26, 2025, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko asked Kateryna Mykhalko to tell him about her career path, emphasizing her young age and responsible position.
He wrote on his Telegram channel:
“What do you think you need to do to be the executive director of the Technological Forces of Ukraine, a defense industry association responsible for arms exports, at the age of 24? I don’t know either.”
Goncharenko called her appointment a “success story,” but the tone of his message was ironic, raising suspicions about the connections and transparency of her appointment.
He asked Mykhalko to publicly share her “success story” to “inspire students who are just starting their careers.”
On the same day, MP Mariana Bezuhla joined the criticism, calling Mykhalko a “passing party girl” who had traveled abroad at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Bezuhla noted that she had initially considered supporting Mikhalko, but was disappointed by the lack of specifics in her answers and her manipulative style of communication.
She also hinted at Mykhalko’s ties to the grant environment and her proximity to certain political figures, including Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
“The Technological Forces of Ukraine explained why 24-year-old Mykhalko was elected as the head of the association
The Technological Forces of Ukraine association responded to the criticism with an official statement in which the president of the TSU stressed that the attacks on Mykhalko are an attack on the organization’s values of equality, patriotism, and progressiveness.
The statement emphasizes that TSU seeks to move away from the “Soviet school” and create a democratic business environment where the main selection criterion is professionalism, not age, gender or origin.
“The policy and structure of the Technological Forces of Ukraine stipulates that the association’s executive director is appointed by the Board of Directors, and only full members of the association can evaluate the director’s effectiveness in his or her position, make suggestions and comments. This is the instrument of democratic influence for us at the TSU,” the statement reads.
The TSU also recalled its mission to advocate for market conditions for arms manufacturers and promote controlled arms exports. The organization emphasized that this idea has received support even at the level of President Zelenskyy, who recently stated the need to export technology.
Mikhalko’s response: “I am 24 years old. I work with weapons and drones for the army.”
Kateryna Mykhalko herself responded to the criticism with an emotional post on social media. She stated that a campaign was launched against her by “pro-Russian propagandists,” including Oleksiy Honcharenko, Myroslav Oleshko, and other Telegram channels.
“A Pandora’s box has opened in society. Shariy, Oleshko, Honcharenko and a dozen other pro-Russian Telegram channels with an audience of millions have launched a campaign against me, demanding ‘excuses’. For what? For being a woman. I am 24 years old. I live in Ukraine. I work with weapons and drones for the army. I head a non-governmental organization. Private companies choose to work together of their own free will. We pay salaries to people and taxes to states,” she wrote.
Mykhalko emphasized that she is honored to be a lightning rod for young women who want to work in the national security sector and expressed confidence that pro-Russian forces will have no future in Ukraine.
Public reaction: support and skepticism
The scandal caused a mixed reaction in society. Some users supported Mykhalko, emphasizing her entrepreneurial experience and the right of young professionals to hold high positions. Others supported the criticism of Honcharenko and Bezuhla, expressing doubts about the 24-year-old director’s qualifications in such a strategically important area as arms exports.
Some commentators also pointed out that the TSU is not a government agency, but a non-governmental organization that lobbies for the interests of private manufacturers. This partly explains why the director is appointed internally, without a public competition, but does not remove questions about transparency.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak defended the 24-year-old Mikhalko, writing on Telegram that at the age of 24 he was an advisor to the Minister of Economy (Aivaras Abromavičius) on interaction with the Rada, and also passed several laws, including the creation of Prozorro.
“Prior to that, I had already held a senior position in an international company and managed to work in consulting. I think he became an advisor to the Prime Minister at 25. At 29, he was elected as a member of parliament….. In short, it doesn’t f*** with the age of the person (my support for Kateryna). This is not an indicator of anything other than the date in the passport),” Zheleznyak wrote.
The editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda, Sevgil Musayeva, also posted on Facebook in defense of Mykhalko. She wrote that at the age of Kateryna Mykhalko, she and a colleague were exposing Serhiy Kurchenko’s business schemes, visiting the office of Yanukovych’s son when most male businessmen, officials and prosecutors were even afraid to speak to her anonymously about asset seizures.
At the age of 27, she became the editor-in-chief of UP and faced ageism, sexism, and doubts about her professionalism just because she was a young woman. According to the author, men in such cases are not subjected to such trials; they are simply given a chance.
What we know about Kateryna Mykhalko
According to Forbes Ukraine, Kateryna Mykhalko is the executive director of the Technological Forces of Ukraine association. She was born on June 1, 2001, in Kyiv and graduated from Kyiv National University with a degree in Public Administration and Civil Service.
Since August 2023, she has been the head of the Technological Forces of Ukraine, an alliance of leading private defense companies that have been supplying advanced military technologies to Ukraine’s defenders since 2014.
At the age of 16, according to NV Business, Kateryna co-founded Nuka, a startup that develops a waterproof “eternal” notebook and pencil that never runs out. This project gained popularity and was valued at $1 million.
The Copenhagen Democracy Summit website reports that Kateryna Mykhalko is the executive director of the Technological Forces of Ukraine, a coalition that shapes the future of security and defense. She specializes in arms and military equipment procurement, state regulation of the defense sector, and public administration. She has extensive experience in the development and integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and is an expert in government relations (GR).
Prior to her current position at the Technological Forces of Ukraine, Kateryna was responsible for government relations at one of Ukraine’s leading UAV manufacturers, known for its innovative developments. She is also a co-founder of Zminotvortsi (Changemakers), an all-Ukrainian educational initiative for pupils and students aged 14 and older, where successful professionals talk about various fields of activity in the modern world.
Previously, Kateryna worked in the GR team at Prozorro.Sale, an online auction platform that ensures transparency in the sale of state, municipal, and private assets.
“The Technological Forces of Ukraine is a coalition of more than 60 leading defense equipment manufacturers that supplies the army with reconnaissance and attack UAVs, FPV drones, ground and sea drones, electronic warfare systems, ammunition, optics, radios and electronics. Since 2014, TSU member companies have been supplying the Ukrainian army with state-of-the-art robotic systems and software solutions. Their collective experience covers equipping all branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other law enforcement agencies.
