Herman Smetanin stepped down as general director of Ukroboronprom on Monday, ending his tenure at the helm of Ukraine's state-owned defence conglomerate just over a week after a Russian missile strike destroyed an ammunition depot in Vyshneve, near Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced personnel changes at Ukroboronprom following the depot detonation, which killed nine people, wounded 58, and damaged hundreds of residential buildings during the overnight attack on 5–6 July. Former deputy defence minister Serhiy Boyev was named acting successor to lead the conglomerate. Zelenskyy had stated officials would be held accountable after the strike.
Smetanin first led Ukroboronprom from June 2023 before being reappointed by the supervisory board in August 2025. His departure follows the dismissal of two other senior executives from subsidiary enterprises earlier this month.