Fraud amounting to 33 million hryvnias uncovered in the procurement of rifles for the army

The Office of the Prosecutor General and the Security Service of Ukraine have uncovered a scheme to embezzle funds allocated for the procurement of weapons for Ukraine. The losses amount to over 33 million hryvnias. This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and the SBU press center.

In March 2022, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract with a private company for the supply of large-caliber rifles for a total amount of over 363 million UAH.

"However, the company delivered the rifles in incomplete sets. According to a forensic economic expert examination, the damages to the state amount to 33,413 million UAH," the Prosecutor General said.

The former official of the Ministry of Defense and the company leader have been notified of suspicion under Article 28, Part 2, Article 114-1, Part 2, and Article 191, Part 5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

At the same time, a technical examination of the rifles themselves is underway. After that, additional forensic examinations will be conducted: commodity and economic.

UPDATED. According to the SBU, the alleged embezzlement occurred during the procurement of large-caliber rifles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine from March 2022 to May 2023.

According to the investigation and military counterintelligence of the SBU, the former director of one of the departments of the Ministry of Defense and the head of a private enterprise are involved in the scam. They signed a contract in the spring of 2022 to supply 1,125 rifles for the needs of the front.

Subsequently, the entrepreneurs delivered the stated quantity of small arms, but not in the complete configuration as stipulated in the contract.

"The official of the Ministry of Defense unjustifiably approved such a delivery. Moreover, he did not conclude an additional agreement with the contractor to reduce the cost of the weapons due to the lack of all components," the SBU reported.

Then, the former official and his accomplice – the CEO of the supplier company – laundered the entire "saved" amount into the shadows.

Both suspects have been notified of suspicion, and the issue of choosing preventive measures for them is being decided. The suspects face up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

• In June 2025, the SBU and the State Bureau of Investigations announced the exposure of a large-scale corruption scheme involving the procurement of cargo vehicles for the needs of the army. The losses exceed 64 million UAH.