Western officials have warned Ukraine that an escalating rift between the defense minister and procurement chief may jeopardize trust in the country and urged the government to resolve the situation quickly so as not to disrupt weapons supplies.

Ukrainian investigators have opened a criminal case involving Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, a move likely to deepen a standoff in his ministry over arms procurement that could strain Kyiv's ties with important Western allies.

Ukraine’s defense minister fired the head of a state agency that acquired over $7 billion in armaments last year, citing “unsatisfactory” results. But, the official vowed to remain.

Ukraine’s defense minister faced mounting criticism for his dismissal of a key official responsible for weapons supplies, threatening a rift with foreign partners as Ukraine’s forces struggle to hold off Russia’s advances.

Ukraine's government on Tuesday sacked a deputy defence minister in charge of weapons purchases amid infighting over procurement that is complicating Kyiv's attempt to reassure key Western partners at a critical moment in the war with Russia.

Amid infighting over arms procurement, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister was dismissed. With the war against Russia intensifying, Defence Minister Umerov criticized inefficiencies and potential corruption in procurement,

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that on Friday, January 31, it dismissed Marina Bezrukova from her position as director of the state enterprise Defense Procurement Agency and appointed Arsen Zhumadilov as the acting director.

The conflict erupted last Friday, when Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov sacked Maryna Bezrukova, director of the country’s defence procurement agency, over an “unsatisfactory” job performance and failure to deliver arms and ammunition to the troops on the frontline.

He explained that he is working alongside the suspended director, Maryna Bezrukova. However, there has been no official transfer of responsibilities since Bezrukova has not resigned but has only been removed from her position.