Herman Smetanin

Early years

Herman Smetanin was born on October 8, 1992, in the city of Kharkiv. He graduated from Kharkiv Secondary School No. 49.

Education

He obtained a degree as a design engineer for wheeled and tracked vehicles at Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University.

In 2019, he received a master's degree in management in the defense industry sector from the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute."

From 2014 to 2015, Herman Smetanin worked at the Kharkiv Machine Building Design Bureau, part of the state concern "Ukroboronprom." He was a leading specialist in the development of the TBKM "Dozor-B" armored combat vehicle and organized its state testing.

From April 2016 to January 2020, he worked initially as the Chief Designer and later as the Chief Engineer at the Lviv Armored Plant. Under Smetanin's leadership in Lviv, the GPM-72 tracked firefighting vehicle and the BREM "Zubr" and BREM "Lev" armored recovery vehicles were developed based on the T-72 tank.

In 2020–2021, he served as the Production Director at the Malyshev Factory. From March 2021 to November 2022, he was the Director of the Kharkiv Armored Plant. From December 2022 to June 2023, he headed the Malyshev Factory, initially as the Production Director and Acting General Director and from April 2023 as the General Director.

On June 28, 2023, Smetanin was appointed General Director of the Joint Stock Company "Ukrainian Defense Industry," which was created by transforming the state concern "Ukroboronprom."

On the 5th September 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed Smetanin as the Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, succeeding Oleksandr Kamyshin.

On 16 July 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dismissed Smetanin as the Minister of Strategic Industries.