Low-quality ammunition for the military: the investigation into the case of the expositors of the Ministry of Defense has been completed

Photo: DBR

The case regarding the indictment of high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, who purchased low-quality ammunition for the military, will be referred to the court. They face up to 15 years in prison.

This is reported by the State Bureau of Investigation.

It is noted that the former Deputy Minister of Defense, who was responsible for the rear support of the Armed Forces, the temporary acting head of the Department of State Procurement and Supply of Material Resources, as well as the acting head of the Central Department of Quality Control of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine are suspected of obstructing the legitimate activities of the Armed Forces, which had serious consequences for 1.4 billion hryvnias and more than 222 million hryvnias in embezzlement.

«The ex-deputy minister of defense, in particular, lobbied for the conclusion of contracts for the supply of material property for the military: body armor, helmets, clothes and other items for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at inflated prices and of low quality for a total amount of over 1.4 billion hryvnias. All contracts were concluded on the condition of full subscription,» the SBI noted.

In the second episode, the participants ordered low-quality bulletproof vests abroad at a 100% subscription price.

«As a result, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received low-quality body armor that cannot be used in combat without endangering life. This led not only to the loss of 222 million hryvnias of budget funds, but also to the undermining of the country's defense capabilities, a threat to the lives and health of the personnel of the Armed Forces,» the message reads.

The former officials were informed of the suspicion of obstructing the legal activities of the Armed Forces, the embezzlement of property in particularly large amounts through the abuse of official position, committed by a group of persons under martial law based on a prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 114-1, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The sanction of the article provides for the maximum punishment in the form of deprivation of liberty for a term of up to 15 years. After the defense party has familiarized itself with the case materials, it will be handed over to the court.

What is it about?

We will remind that on February 1, 2023, the former head of the Department of State Procurement of the Ministry of Defense, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, the former Deputy Minister of Defense Viacheslav Shapovalov, and the former deputy of the state enterprise Promoboronexport, Volodymyr Tereshchenko , were informed of the suspicion.

According to the investigation materials, almost 3,000 bulletproof vests were purchased for the Armed Forces for over 100 million hryvnias. However, according to several independent examinations, these products do not meet the requirements of class IV body armor and cannot adequately protect Ukrainian soldiers.

On January 8, 2024, former officials of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine were informed of new suspicions regarding the fact that almost a billion hryvnias were wasted on the purchase of body armor for the Defense Forces.