Supplying defective weapons to the front: officials who caused UAH 193 million in losses to the state will be tried
6 November 11:42
The State Bureau of Investigation has completed a pre-trial investigation into the supply of faulty large-caliber machine guns to units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which proved unsuitable for use in combat conditions. This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The indictment has already been sent to court. The defendants are the former director of a department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the head of a state-owned enterprise.
How the scheme worked
According to the SBI, the officials organized the purchase of weapons through an intermediary company, rather than directly from the manufacturer. As a result, the state overpaid almost 40% of the real cost.
Moreover, the Armed Forces received an incomplete batch of weapons: only half of the planned number of machine guns was delivered.
During operation, it turned out that the weapons
- had no markings or technical documentation;
- did not meet the standards of combat use;
- could not fire continuously – after the first shots, the mechanisms were destroyed and the machine guns were out of order.
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Losses to the state amounted to over UAH 193 million
As a result of the fraud, the state budget suffered losses of more than UAH 193 million, and the military were effectively left without serviceable weapons, risking their lives at the front.
To compensate for the losses, the suspects’ property worth over UAH 41 million was seized. Another head of a state-owned enterprise involved in the scheme has been put on the international wanted list.
What kind of punishment does the suspect face?
The defendants are charged with abuse of office and embezzlement of public funds on a particularly large scale.
If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
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