Fictitious drones for the front: in Donetsk region, a unit commander was detained for embezzling millions in budget funds
15 January 19:50
In Donetsk Oblast, law enforcement officers uncovered a large-scale scheme to embezzle funds intended for supplying the military with equipment. On January 12, they detained the commander of one of the military units, who is suspected of creating a criminal organization and colluding with fictitious companies during the procurement of drones and sights for the front.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) and the Office of the Prosecutor General, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
What the commander is suspected of
According to the investigation, in 2024, the commander of the military unit formed a criminal group, which included three subordinate military personnel responsible for procurement, as well as a civilian intermediary. The latter, according to the SBI, was the owner of a number of companies through which the military unit allegedly purchased FPV drones and collimator sights with state funds.
The suspects signed contracts with these companies, after which the money was transferred to their accounts. To create the appearance of legitimate purchases, the company managers prepared fake “marketing research,” contracts, work completion reports, and invoices.
What happened to the money and equipment
According to law enforcement officials, after the “purchases” were made, the funds were converted into cash and distributed among the participants in the scheme. At the same time, the military unit did not actually receive any drones, and some of the sights turned out to be cheap products unsuitable for combat use.
To conceal the absence of equipment, the commander, according to the investigation, ordered his subordinates to write it off as allegedly lost during combat operations.
The scale of the losses
According to the case file, between April and December 2024, the participants in the scheme concluded 37 fictitious contracts. The total losses to the state are estimated at 47 million hryvnias. According to the investigation, the military unit did not receive 1,815 drones.
What decisions did the court make?
On January 12, all five participants in the criminal organization were detained. They were charged with creating a criminal organization, embezzling budget funds on an especially large scale under martial law, and entering false information into official documents.
The court chose a preventive measure for all the defendants in the form of detention without the right to bail.
