The Security Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, eliminated a corruption scheme for the purchase of ammunition for the Armed Forces worth almost UAH 1.5 billion.

As a result of complex measures, the SSU detained the head of one of the Main Directorates of the Ministry of Defense, who was involved in the scheme.

According to the investigation, in December last year, the official signed an agreement with a special export company to purchase a wholesale batch of artillery shells for Ukrainian defenders.

But then the budget funds were not transferred to the accounts of the special exporter.

The newly created Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense subsequently signed a more favorable contract for the supply of the same artillery shells with the same manufacturer.

The new contract, unlike the previous one, provided for the purchase of ammunition without intermediaries, directly from the manufacturer, which significantly reduced the delivery time and reduced its cost.

However, the offender, ignoring the contract of the Defense Procurement Agency, unreasonably extended the previous agreement with the special exporting company.

Moreover, after prolonging the "old" contract, almost UAH 1.5 billion was transferred to the accounts of an affiliated foreign intermediary firm. This amount exceeded the cost of the products under a direct contract with the manufacturer by 30%.

During the searches of the suspect's work and residence, the SSU found documents confirming the illegal activity.

Within the framework of the criminal proceedings initiated by the SSU investigators under Part 2 Art. 114-1 (obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces and other military formations) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the official is to be served a notice of suspicion.

The suspect is currently suspended from duty. In addition, the Ministry of Defense is taking measures to return almost UAH 1.5 billion misappropriated to the budget of Ukraine.

The investigation is ongoing. The offender faces up to 15 years in prison.

The investigation was conducted under the supervision of the Prosecutor General's Office.