Under the procedural supervision of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Security Service of Ukraine has uncovered the procurement of substandard quality single-use anti-tank grenade launchers for the Armed Forces at inflated prices.

This pertains to a contract between the state-owned Defence Procurement Agency enterprise and a private company for the supply of 6,000 RPG-75M single-use anti-tank grenade launchers. The contract was worth UAH 637 million in total (USD 14.2 mln).

According to the documents, the supplier was to deliver new weapons manufactured between 2024 and 2026.

However, even before the contract was signed, the AFU Logistics Forces Command had warned the state procurement officer that this type of weapon was ineffective and suggested considering other models. Nevertheless, the contract was signed and the supplier received an advance payment of UAH 318.5 million.

In May 2026, the first consignment of 3,024 grenade launchers arrived at the arsenal of a military unit under the command of the AFU Logistics Forces. In view of prior information regarding the goods’ substandard quality, the receiving party did not accept them and left them only in temporary storage.

Subsequently, the investigation established that it was not new, modern weaponry that had been delivered to the military unit, but grenade launchers manufactured in the 1980s.

During the inspection, signs of relabelling were discovered. Beneath the external labels were old markings in Czech, and some parts of the equipment showed significant signs of oxidation. Once the new labels had been removed, it was determined that the components had been manufactured between 1986 and 1988.

The persons involved in the scheme attempted to conceal the goods’ year of manufacture, technical condition and origin. They submitted forged documents and altered the markings on the products, particularly the batch number and year of manufacture.

The investigation is also looking into collusion between officials at the state procurement agency and the supplier company, as this procurement could not have taken place without it.

The state has lost UAH 318.5 million in advance payments for weapons that were never accepted.

According to available information, the same foreign supplier attempted to supply Ukraine with these grenade launchers in 2022–23. However, as they were trying to sell old weapons disguised as new ones, the contract was terminated. The price of the grenade launchers back then was nine times lower than under the specified contract.

The criminal proceedings are underway under Article 114-1.1 of the CCU (obstruction of the lawful activities of the AFU and other military formations during a special period).

More than ten searches have been carried out at the offices of the State Enterprise Defence Procurement Agency and the supplier company, as well as at the residences of those involved.

No physical violence was used during these investigative actions, which were conducted in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code. No complaints were received from those involved. This is evidenced by the search reports and video recordings of the investigative actions.

In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a conviction.

The investigation is ongoing.