Igor Fedirko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Arms Council, revealed in an interview with RBK-Ukraine critical problems in the mechanism for preparing tactical and technical specifications (TTPs) for weapons. According to him, in six months of work by the centers of competence, only four documents for four types of means were prepared, for which tenders have already been held. The remaining 80–85% of necessary TTPs, in his words, appeared "almost magically" only on Saturday morning — the eve of the tenders, although the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) had not yet received them for preparatory work at that time.

Who is actually responsible for TTPs

Fedirko emphasized that the centers of competence are not directly responsible for developing tactical and technical specifications — this function is fully performed by the General Staff. The concept of work assumed that the centers of competence would review, verify, and sign the TTPs, after which they would transfer them to the DPA to conduct tenders. However, in practice, according to the head of the Arms Council, only four documents were prepared during the six months of operation of this structure. It was precisely for these four types of means that tenders were conducted, within the framework of which winners were determined for 17 lots.

17 lots and the risk of contract cancellation

The situation with already conducted tenders, according to Fedirko, is also not without clouds: some participants refuse to sign contracts or fulfill obligations because they did not calculate their own production capabilities. Tenders were held at the end of summer, and given that three months are spent on purchasing components and another three on assembly, the final delivery date is already shifted to 2027. This shift is additionally exacerbated by the quality control procedure when accepting weapons into storage.

Penalties against manufacturers' margins

Fedirko pointed out that in Ukraine, penalty sanctions for overdue fulfillment of military contracts are still in effect: a penalty of 0.1% of the cost of the product for each day of delay, and for a delay of more than 30 days, an additional fine of 7% is applied. Thus, for 45 days of delay, total sanctions can reach 11.5%, while the manufacturer's margin on a lot under tender competition conditions often amounts to only 3–5%. This creates direct financial pressure on defense enterprises and increases the risk of supply failures.

Record on drones due to direct purchases

Fedirko cited data from former Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, according to which in the first four months of 2026, the Ministry of Defense purchased more drones than in all of 2025. However, according to him, this happened due to direct and decentralized purchases from military units, the electronic points system, and DOT Chain, and not through tenders. He added that the Ministry of Defense, understanding that questions would subsequently arise about these means, transferred a significant amount of "tender" funds to direct purchases a week before the events to avoid a real break in supplies. Subsequently, the ministry, in his assumption, will have to explain to European partners why part of the funds went specifically to direct purchases.

Contradictory data

A number of discrepancies are fixed in the provided sources. On the one hand, Fedirko claims that the delay with TTPs may leave the army without weapons in just a few months, and on the other hand, the DPA contracted for 33.36 billion hryvnias worth of drones in the first six months of 2026, which is twice as much as a year ago. This creates a contradiction between the narrative of a systemic failure and data on record procurement volumes. Moreover, the statement that 80–85% of TTPs "magically" appeared on Saturday morning is not confirmed by independent sources and contradicts the declared procedure, according to which documents must be transferred to the DPA in advance for preparatory work. Finally, the assertion about the transfer of "tender" funds to direct purchases a week before the events is based solely on the words of one source and has not received public confirmation from the Ministry of Defense or the DPA.

Either way, the mechanisms revealed by Fedirko point to a systemic problem in the chain "General Staff — centers of competence — DPA — manufacturer," which, if the current pace is maintained, may lead to a shortage of weapons at the front in the coming months, despite formally record procurement figures in individual areas.