Usov took charge of the agency in early 2020. By Cabinet of Ministers order No. 60-r of 24 January, he was appointed for five years with a six-month probation period, and on 5 February he was introduced to the staff of the SSAU. Before that, he had been an entrepreneur in niches far removed from space. In 2011, together with partners, he founded Gutenbergz, a company that produced interactive books and electronic textbooks. In 2013, Kwambio appeared, a project for 3D printing with ceramics. These very companies later found themselves at the centre of publications about procurement for schools.
According to Antikor, the deputies claimed that Usov had not passed an SBU special check, had not presented a development strategy for the agency within five months, and that his "main achievement" had been official Telegram and YouTube channels. The appeal also said that in his declaration Usov had not listed shares in the American company Kwamb.io Inc., stakes in four Ukrainian firms, and two apartments.
The publication recounted the history of Kwambio in detail. According to its data, the company was founded in 2013, presented in London in 2014, and over four years raised $1.6 million. In 2014, the project won the IDCEE competition and entered the TechStars Boston programme. According to Antikor, $500,000 came from the Impulse VC fund, which British media link to Roman Abramovich. In March 2019, Usov spoke at Yulia Tymoshenko's forum, which is also noted in the publication.
Textbooks and the competition
A separate section of Antikor is devoted to the State Bureau of Investigation's case on the procurement of electronic textbooks in the Mykolaiv region. This concerns the regional education development programme for 2017–2021. According to the publication, the tenders were won by Electronik Solutions, a dealer of Gutenbergz, the first contract amounted to 12.9 million hryvnias, and in total 24 million hryvnias were paid for access to the textbooks. The Ministry of Education had posted these books online for free. The SBI opened proceedings in June 2019, and on 25 November 2019 a court seized Gutenbergz's accounts.
Another line of investigation is linked to Odesa. On 23 June 2020, the SBI conducted 16 searches, including at the home of Deputy Mayor Pavlo Vuhelman, over the purchase of online textbooks worth 13 million hryvnias. As Dumskaya wrote, cited by Antikor, the company Electronik Solutions is registered to Dmytro Skomorokhov, but according to media reports it belongs to Usov. Skomorokhov later headed Kwambio. Moreover, according to TSN, searches at Usov's own home took place back in December 2019, that is, before his appointment.
The publication also recalled the competition for the post of head of the agency held at the end of 2019. Eighteen candidates were admitted. On knowledge of legislation, Usov scored 31 out of 40 and took ninth place. In the abstract reasoning test he was fifth from the bottom, and in English he was in the middle of nine participants. The interview lasted seven minutes. The final five included Kaplienko, Vlasiuk, Zymin and Taftai. According to media reports, the victory was secured by the then Economy Minister Tymofiy Mylovanov.
Usov's position and the publication's version
According to Antikor's account, Usov called the accusations a fake and stated that neither he nor his companies were subjects of criminal cases. Criticism was also heard within the agency. Hryhoriy Boyko, deputy head of the public council at the SSAU and a member of the council of the Space association, said in a comment to the same publication: "we are moving somewhere in the wrong direction."
The reputation of the source itself should also be taken into account. Antikor is known for publications with a pre-set position, so everything stated in it remains the publication's version rather than established facts. No source at the time reported that Usov had been served with a suspicion notice, and there is no verdict in the procurement case.
On 12 November 2020, Ukraine joined the Artemis Accords, and on 16 November the government dismissed Usov under Article 87 of the law on civil service. Mykhailo Lev, a participant in the 2019 competition, became acting head of the agency.
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