Under the procedural supervision of prosecutors of the Prosecutor General's Office, facts of embezzlement of budget funds during state procurement for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were established.

According to the investigation, in December 2024, the director of the company, fulfilling the terms of the concluded contract, supplied 18,000 protective ballistic goggles-masks to the state enterprise of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The head of the specialized unit and other officials of the Ministry of Defense did not properly control the quality of the supplied goods. Despite the fact that the first samples of the goods received negative conclusions based on the results of laboratory tests, they did not initiate repeated tests in accredited laboratories. Instead, the supplier provided positive test reports from another organization, and the head of the special unit of the Ministry of Defense approved the batch of goods as high-quality.

Later, the supplier company transferred the purchased goggles-masks to the military unit and received budget funds to its account.

As a result, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine suffered material damage of more than 25.7 million UAH.

The actions of the suspects were qualified under part 5 of Art 191, part 4 of Art 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. One of the defendants was detained, and the issue of selection a preventive measure is currently being determined.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, and other officials of the Ministry of Defense are currently being checked for involvement in the crimes, and a criminal-legal assessment of their actions will be provided additionally.

The pre-trial investigation is being carried out by investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General's Office with operational support from the Department for Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Note: in accordance with Art. 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until his guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court verdict.

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Procurement of low-quality equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine with losses of over UAH 25 million: Defense Ministry officials and the supplier exposed