Who became the agency's head
In 2020, Volodymyr Usov was known as an Odesa-based entrepreneur who, in 2011, co-founded Gutenbergz, a company producing interactive books and electronic textbooks for mobile devices. He then created Kwambio, a ceramic 3D-printing factory. In 2014, the project won the IDCEE competition and later entered the TechStars Boston program. In 2017, the company received $500,000 from Empire State Capital Partners and Impulse VC, and the Impulse VC fund was reportedly linked to Roman Abramovich.
The new head was introduced to the staff of the State Space Agency on February 5. For the industry, this was a notable personnel shift: the agency had been headed by Pavlo Dehtyarenko, who was dismissed on November 3, 2019, and a competition was announced for his position. Usov's appointment was the result of that competition, and within the first weeks of his tenure his biography became a focus of Ukrainian media.
Terms of appointment and background
The key detail of the order concerns the starting point of the contract. Usov was appointed "from the date of actual performance of duties," meaning the five-year term runs not from the date of signing but from the actual start of work. The probationary period was six months.
The competition was held in November 2019. It was organized by the National Agency for Civil Service, and 18 candidates participated between November 25 and 29. On December 27, the Cabinet declared Usov the winner. In parallel, the State Bureau of Investigations was conducting a probe into textbooks. According to 368.media, Gutenbergz dealer Electronik Solutions received UAH 12.9 million from tenders of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. Antikor, citing the same tenders, estimated the total at UAH 15–24 million for access to textbooks that were supposed to be free under the Ministry of Education and Science.
On November 25, a court seized Gutenbergz's accounts. On December 17, a search warrant was issued in the company's case. As TSN reported, searches were conducted at Usov's home and office on the night before the competition final. Sources do not name Usov personally as a suspect, and no verdict has been reached in the case.
Six months in office
While the investigation continued, the agency pursued its own agenda. Usov gave interviews: his conversation was published by UNIAN on March 31, and published an interview on May 25. In it, he spoke about the Antares rocket, a $250 million project at Alcântara, and Russia's pressure on Brazil. In June, the SBI conducted 16 searches in Odesa in the case of school textbooks worth UAH 13 million, including at the home of Deputy Mayor Vuhelman, as Antikor wrote.
In July 2020, lawyer Masi Nayyem publicized an appeal signed by more than 100 people's deputies. The signatories demanded Usov's dismissal and addressed the appeal to Economy Minister Ihor Petrashko. At the time, the prime minister was Denys Shmyhal, who had succeeded Oleksiy Honcharuk.
Dismissal and court
On November 12, 2020, Ukraine joined the Artemis Accords, and four days later, on November 16, the government dismissed Usov under Article 87 of the Civil Service Law. Mykhailo Lev, a participant in the same 2019 competition, became acting head of the agency. The dismissal came at a time when the probationary period had already ended.
Usov challenged the decision in court. On December 15, 2020, he filed a lawsuit with the Kyiv District Administrative Court against the Cabinet of Ministers and the agency. On December 21, proceedings were opened, and a preparatory hearing was scheduled for January 18, 2021. The outcome of the lawsuit is unknown.
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