Usov seeks to have the government's dismissal order of 16 November 2020 declared unlawful, to be reinstated in his post, and to recover from the agency his average earnings for the period of forced absence. The claim is addressed to two defendants at once: the Cabinet of Ministers and the SCAU, which he led for just under ten months. Shortly before this, the same court concluded the case of Zurab Alasania, former head of the National Public Broadcasting Company, who also challenged his dismissal, and the publication recalled it in the same article.
The path to the agency's top post
Usov's name is not only associated with public service. In 2011, together with partners, he founded Gutenbergz, a company that produced interactive books and electronic textbooks. In 2013 and 2014, Kwambio emerged, a startup for 3D printing with ceramics. In 2014, the project won the IDCEE competition and then entered the TechStars Boston program, one of the world's most renowned startup accelerators. In 2017, Kwambio received $500,000 from the funds Empire State Capital Partners and Impulse VC, and Impulse VC, as reported in the press, is linked to Roman Abramovich.
Usov's business became intertwined with state textbook procurement. According to 368.media, in 2018 and 2019, tenders held by the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration were won by Electronik Solutions, a dealer of Gutenbergz, which received UAH 12.9 million. In total, according to the same publication's estimates, between UAH 15 and 24 million was paid for access to textbooks that, through the Ministry of Education and Science, should have been free. In June 2019, the State Bureau of Investigations opened proceedings on this case, and in November of the same year, as Antikor wrote, the court seized Gutenbergz's accounts. There is no verdict in the case, and Usov personally has not been named a suspect in it.
Competition and appointment
On 3 November 2019, the government dismissed the agency's head, Pavlo Dehtyarenko, and announced a competition for the position. The competition took place in late November, with 18 candidates participating. On 17 December, as AIN wrote, a search warrant was issued in the Gutenbergz case. That same night, on the eve of the competition final, according to TSN, searches were conducted at Usov's home and office. Despite this, on 27 December the Cabinet declared him the winner, and on 24 January 2020 the government appointed him for five years with a six-month probation period. He was introduced to the agency's staff on 5 February.
In an interview with in May 2020, Usov spoke about the Antares rocket and the Brazilian Alcantara spaceport, and in June he discussed the Lybid project in an interview with Ekonomichna Pravda. In November 2020, Ukraine joined the Artemis Accords, the US program to return humans to the Moon, four days before his dismissal. However, within the government and parliament, attitudes toward him were tense. In July 2020, more than a hundred MPs called for the agency head's dismissal, and the appeal, published by lawyer Masi Nayyem, was addressed to then Economy Minister Ihor Petrashko.
Dismissal and lawsuit
On 16 November 2020, the government dismissed Usov under Article 87 of the Civil Service Law. Mykhailo Lev, a participant in the 2019 competition, became acting head of the SCAU. On 20 November, Usov gave a lengthy interview to Babel magazine, and in December he went to court. The lawsuit was filed on 15 December, and on 21 December the DACK opened proceedings. The outcome of the case is not yet known, and the preparatory hearing is scheduled for 18 January.
In January 2021, Deputy Prime Minister Oleh Urusky appointed Volodymyr Taftai, a finalist of the 2019 competition, as head of the SCAU, and announced a $1 billion program. Usov did not return to the post. As early as March 2021, according to Forbes and Rocket of the World, a new company, Kurs Orbital, was registered, with Usov named as its founder.
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