Expert: It was obvious mistake to appoint Yurii Husiev as ambassador to Azerbaijan
The appointment of Yurii Husev to represent Ukraine as ambassador to Azerbaijan is an obvious mistake.
Oleksandr Kochetkov, a political analyst and missile production specialist, wrote about this on Facebook.
He recalled that Yurii Husiev was dismissed from the post of Director General of Ukroboronprom in 2023. In February 2024, he was appointed ambassador to Azerbaijan.
"After his dismissal from the defense industry, they tried to promote him as ambassador to the Czech Republic, which is Ukraine's leading arms hub. But, obviously, the Czechs are aware of the violent activities of our suspect and therefore did not give him an agriman.
But with Azerbaijan it worked out: surprisingly, Husiev was approved there. I wonder what lies behind President Ilham Aliyev's decision. A person who has nowhere to put his stamp on him will soon go to Baku as ambassador. And this appointment of Yurii Husiev to represent Ukraine in Azerbaijan is an obvious mistake. Who knows what kind of trouble he will cause there. And relations with Azerbaijan are very sensitive for Ukraine. The country is of great regional importance, it is important in relations with Turkey, and so on," the expert writes.
According to him, our defense state structures are suffering from some kind of contagious, incurable disease. A scandal is now spreading: "Ukroboronprom is forced to conduct an internal investigation into its first deputy, Yurii Pashchenko (there is a corresponding order from Director General H. Smetanin). A highly publicized journalistic investigation into the dubious enrichment of Oleksandr Pashchenko, the son of the first deputy defense minister, was published.
"He has a completely ungentlemanly set: large bank accounts, several luxury cars, apartments in Kyiv, a land plot, and an expensive cruise yacht to boot... In 2015, O.Pashchenko was appointed head of the Kharkiv-based FED, a strategic enterprise of Ukroboronprom. And by some strange "coincidence," Pashchenko Sr. (who was also the deputy director general of the concern) was a member of the tender committee," Kochetkov said.
In turn, Yurii Husiev was dismissed from the post of Deputy Defense Minister in 2016 on suspicion of corruption, the analyst recalls.
"Both Pashchenko and Husiev continued their successful careers in the defense sector. Yurii Pashchenko later became the head of one of Ukroboronprom's enterprises and is now the deputy director general. In 2020-2023, Yurii Husiev became the head of the entire Ukroboronprom. His appointment was reportedly facilitated by his influential friend David Arakhamia," he recalls.
Husiev's tenure as Ukroboronprom director general was also accompanied by scandals. For example, the creation of a joint cartridge factory with the Canadians, which was never built. And also in connection with the unsatisfactory production of drones.
"As a rocket expert, I know that Husiev was removed from his post after he failed to develop a tactical missile system. And when citizens ask how it is that Ukraine, a missile state, is unable to attack the enemy with its own medium-range ballistic missiles, it is Yurii Husyev who is largely to blame," Kochetkov comments on the idea of appointing Husyev as ambassador to Azerbaijan and the scandals in the defense industry.
He is confident that an internal audit at Ukroboronprom will confirm the dishonesty of both Pashchenko, father and son. But Oleksandr is in no danger - he is an avid fighter in the Monaco Battalion, and is also rumored to continue to offer Western businessmen "to solve everything that needs to be done" in Ukraine's defense sector. But Yurii can also avoid serious consequences, and will probably go as an ambassador plenipotentiary to some safe country, away from the war, the analyst predicts.
"Like Yurii Husiev. Like Oleksii Danilov. And this is a systemic problem. Because a person who proved to be incompetent, or inadequate, or both, in a previous responsible position, will continue to screw up and disgrace Ukraine on the diplomatic front. And there, amateurishness, dishonesty and stupidity threaten the country with no less losses than in the defense sector," Kochetkov explained.
