A former Defense Ministry official has been charged in connection with the purchase of defective mortars worth ₴182 million
The Military Counterintelligence Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine has exposed the former director of the Department of Military-Technical Policy for the Development of Weapons and Military Equipment at the Ministry of Defense, who, according to the investigation, was involved in the procurement of defective mortars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine worth 182 million hryvnias.
According to the investigation, in 2023, the official organized the procurement of 250 120-mm mortars that did not meet the tactical and technical specifications stated by the manufacturer.
“The delivery of substandard weapons undermined the combat readiness of Ukrainian troops. In particular, the combat use of defective mortars posed a threat to the lives and health of the personnel of the Armed Forces’ artillery crews on the front lines,” the SBU emphasized.
According to law enforcement officials, while in office, the suspect entered into a contract with an unverified foreign company for the production of artillery weapons for the Ukrainian army.
As the investigation established, instead of licensed products meeting the declared technical standards, the manufacturer delivered weapons unsuitable for combat use to the Ministry of Defense’s warehouses, even though the state budget funds had been fully transferred to the manufacturing company.
The SBU notes that the facts of the violations were confirmed by a forensic engineering and mechanical examination.
The former official has been notified of charges under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—abuse of power or official position resulting in serious consequences.
The penalty under this article provides for up to six years of imprisonment.
The SBU added that the investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement officials are identifying all individuals involved in the scheme.
In addition, all defective mortars have already been removed from units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to prevent their further use.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine.
Earlier, law enforcement officials announced that they had served notices of suspicion to the former director of a state-owned enterprise and a private entrepreneur in a case involving the illegal sale of 990 metric tons of corn at an undervalued price. According to the investigation, the scheme caused the state losses of nearly 5 million hryvnias, and state-owned land was effectively used by a private entity under the guise of providing agricultural services.
The High Anti-Corruption Court found Luka Kril, a judge of the Turka District Court in Lviv Oblast, guilty of accepting an unlawful benefit and sentenced him to eight years in prison.
NABU detectives and SAPO prosecutors served a notice of suspicion to an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine who incited a representative of a commercial enterprise to provide an unlawful benefit.
