Under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General, a scheme has been uncovered in which the management of a private company illegally received state funds intended to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during martial law.

According to the investigation, during 2024, the director of the company, together with the commercial director, ensured the victory of a controlled company in defense procurement. This was achieved through manipulation of market prices, imitation of competition, and systematic inflation of the cost of spare parts for military equipment, particularly for the armored vehicles “Kirpi”, which are actively used at the front.

It has been established that the company director organized the preparation of documents, communication with the military unit, and distribution of funds, while the commercial director prepared invoices and other documents with deliberately inflated prices. 

To appear as the “cheapest” supplier, the company manager sent standard requests to affiliated companies, ensuring that they submitted commercial proposals with intentionally inflated costs.

According to the findings of the expert examination, the amount of illegally obtained funds by the company exceeded 15 million hryvnias for just two contracts.

During authorized searches at the suspects' residences, documents and electronic media with evidential significance were seized.

Both officials have been notified of suspicion for organizing the appropriation of someone else's property in especially large amounts, by prior conspiracy of a group of individuals, through abuse of office, committed under martial law and repeatedly (parts 4, 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The sanction of the article provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions for up to 3 years and confiscation of property.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Main Investigative Department of the National Police with operational support from the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.