Policy

Verkhovna Rada approves report of its PIC on construction of fortifications and purchase of drones

The Verkhovna Rada heard the report of the Temporary Special Commission on the use of funds for the construction of fortifications and the purchase of drones and approved it. This was reported by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, according to [Kommersant].

He added that this decision was supported by 288 MPs.

At the same time, Yaroslav Zheleznyak made a fundamental clarification. According to him, the work of this PIC has been terminated and an investigative commission will be established, not a special one.

This was explained in his speech to the parliament by the head of the PIC, Oleksandr Bakumov. He stated that not all of the tasks assigned to the commission could be accomplished due to a lack of authority. That is why he called for the creation of an appropriate investigative commission that could engage experts, conduct examinations, and receive testimony.

What did the PIC work on?

The Verkhovna Rada created the Temporary Special Commission on the use of funds for the construction of fortifications and the purchase of drones in May. It included nine representatives of the Servant of the People party and one representative from all factions and groups of the Verkhovna Rada.

Among the tasks assigned to the PIC were

– analyze the use of budget funds allocated for the construction of fortifications on the contact line;

– studying the needs of the Armed Forces in drones;

– forming a state order for the production and purchase of drones;

– control over the supply of drones to the army.

According to Oleksandr Bakumov, the head of the PIC, during his report to parliament, the commission members reviewed and analyzed the construction of fortifications, in particular, in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and northern regions of Ukraine.

What’s going on with the construction of fortifications

Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on the construction of engineering fortifications two days ago at a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

Addressing the local authorities, he emphasized that the construction of fortifications is of utmost importance.

He said that this process was divided into three stages. The final stage is now underway. The Armed Forces are already completing their tasks, but, according to him, the State Special Transport Service needs to speed up its work.

“Twenty-one regional military administrations and contractors are involved in the construction of military engineering and fortifications. Seven regions have to intensify their work in the area of fortifications,” the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine emphasized.

He expressed gratitude to the heads of regional administrations and civilians for their cooperation with the military and for providing logistical assistance to the engineering units of the Armed Forces, while emphasizing that regional administrations need to be more active, especially in terms of echeloning fortifications in depth.

How funds for the construction of fortifications are spent

Law enforcement agencies of Ukraine have opened 30 criminal cases over alleged embezzlement of funds allocated for the construction of fortifications. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" reported with reference to the Financial Times. The article cited the total amount of losses estimated at 483 million dollars, which is more than 20 billion hryvnias. It was also noted that the engineering units of the Ukrainian army are in a critical condition, which makes it necessary to shift responsibility for organizing the work to local authorities.

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