The Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General, in cooperation with the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, have exposed a large-scale scheme of budget embezzlement. As a result, the CEO of a Zaporizhzhia-based company who supplied the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a wholesale batch of defective equipment worth UAH 60 million (USD 1.4 mln) has been served with a notice of suspicion.

The batch in question included 43,000 protective ballistic goggles and goggles-masks for the needs of Ukrainian ground forces.

An examination initiated by the SSU confirmed that the equipment was unsuitable for use in training and combat conditions.

The director of the enterprise made the delivery on the basis of two contracts concluded in April 2024 with a state-owned enterprise of the Ministry of Defence.

However, instead of the high-quality products stipulated in the signed agreements, the contractor shipped completely defective equipment that did not meet safety requirements.

At the same time, the organiser of the transaction received the entire amount allocated for the military gear.

During the searches at the suspect’s office, documents with evidence of the criminal scheme and part of the money received from it were seized.

SSU investigators have notified him of suspicion under Article 191.5 of the CCU (appropriation, embezzlement or acquisition of property through abuse of official position, committed on an especially large scale).

The entire batch of defective products has been seized from the Defence Forces’ logistics depots and the contractors’ offices.

The investigation is ongoing. The perpetrators face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The investigation was carried out under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine.