Servants of the People or Servants of the Kremlin: Why Two Members of the National Security Committee of the Verkhovna Rada Criticize the Transparent System of Food Procurement for the Armed Forces

Majority MPs from the Servant of the People party, members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, Yuriy Zdebskyi and Hennadiy Kasai, are trying to question the new system of food procurement for the Armed Forces, which is being implemented by the State Operator of the Logistics, UNN reports.

In particular, in the information space, the two MPs actually announced a "summons to the carpet" to the National Security Committee for Arsen Zhumadilov, the Director General of the State Defense Department, because they allegedly had "many questions.

Indeed, there are many questions. In particular, why there are judges in Ukraine who make decisions in favor of dubious companies and thus block tenders for food supplies to the Armed Forces. And there are also questions to the aforementioned MPs as to why they are so "sincerely" trying to criticize the procurement system of the State Defense and Trade Administration, and whether their unexpected activity is not connected to their not-so-pleasant trail.

A collaborator's man?

Hennadiy Kasai ran as a candidate of the Servant of the People party and was elected as a member of parliament from the 74th constituency in Zaporizhzhia.  

At the time of the election, he worked as the general director of the Motor Sich sports complex, an enterprise whose president and general designer was former Party of Regions member and ex-MP Viacheslav Bohuslaev. According to the Chesno portal, almost all people from Bohuslaev's entourage became Kasai's assistants in the Verkhovna Rada.

Boguslaev was detained in October 2022. His case has already been submitted to the court, and Boguslaev himself is in a pre-trial detention center.

The former head of a powerful enterprise that fulfilled defense orders is already accused of collaboration, facilitating the activities of a terrorist organization, and counteracting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

One of the defendants in the case is Gennadiy Kasai's brother, Pavel Kasai. 

Moreover, after Bohuslaev's arrest, Kasai managed to get caught up in a scandal involving the supply of low-quality goods to the Armed Forces. 

According to investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach, the co-founder of the company that sold the Ministry of Defense a batch of summer jackets instead of winter jackets was Oleksandr Kasai, the nephew of Gennadiy Kasai.

The scandal was so high-profile that the MP had to publicly deny any involvement in it.

"I have nothing to do with this company. I didn't know that my nephew was a founder or something like that. I know for sure that he is not the founder today," the MP explained at the time.

It is necessary to expand the rights to impose sanctions on unscrupulous suppliers at the legislative level - Venislavsky on the situation with procurement of the State Defense MinistryMarch 5 2024, 10:23 AM • 216038 views

How not to notice a state adviser

Yuriy Zdebsky is also an ambiguous character - according to official data, the retired colonel, border guard, ATO participant was elected as a People's Deputy from the SN party in the 172nd constituency from Kharkiv.

Almost a perfect biography, if not for one thing... In July 2022, in the midst of a full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian special services detained Zdebsky's assistant on suspicion of treason. 

The man, as it turned out, was recruited in 2017 during a trip to Moscow. 

"The traitor passed intelligence to his Russian curator in various areas. In particular, on international cooperation, domestic policy, strengthening the border with Russia and the ATO/JFO in eastern Ukraine.

For cooperating with the enemy, he received monthly money from the Russian special services in the amount of 1.5 to 4 thousand dollars. The "reward" increased depending on the level of complexity of the tasks and the timing of their implementation," the SBU described the activities of Zdebsky's assistant in its official report.

The MP himself, of course, pretended to know nothing.

"Why did I hire him? Because he was my supervisor, he served in the administration of the State Border Guard Service in a high position. He understands the issues of border, demarcation, development, he is an expert in this," the MP justified in a comment to Suspilne.

Whether there will be conclusions

Obviously, the situation looks wild when the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security includes deputies directly related to people who, through their deliberate actions, have harmed national security.

But why they are still sitting there, and even allow themselves to criticize the procurement of the Ministry of Defense, is a question for their colleagues..

Context

After the State Logistics Operator announced the first tenders for the supply of food to the Armed Forces under the new rules, a "dirty" information campaign was launched against it and the new team of the Ministry of Defense, carried out by pseudo-experts who collaborated with the traitor Viktor Medvedchuk and other pro-Russian politicians.

Earlier, due to the decision of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal, which upheld the claims of Trade Granite Invest, the State Logistics Operator was forced to cancel 11 tenders for the supply of food for the Ukrainian army. 

This company could also have been involved in information attack on the DOT.

A pillbox across the throat: why food suppliers to the Armed Forces are blocking tenders under transparent rulesMarch 7 2024, 10:12 AM • 229665 views