Officials at a railcar manufacturing plant are suspected of causing 64 million hryvnia in losses to Ukrzaliznytsia
The management of a railcar manufacturing plant is suspected of embezzling funds from JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” through the supply of substandard passenger railcars and wheel sets for international transport.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. Charges have been filed against the former and current directors, as well as the head of the company’s department.
The investigation established that during routine maintenance, critical defects were discovered in the manufactured rolling stock—cracks and breaks in key components of the cars. Expert examinations confirmed the use of steel with substandard properties and gross violations during welding work, which rendered the railcars unfit for operation decades before their standard service life. As a result of these actions by officials, the state suffered losses amounting to over 64 million hryvnias.
The actions of the suspects have been classified as embezzlement and misappropriation of property on an especially large scale, which, in the context of countering Russian aggression, constitutes a critical offense. Investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances surrounding the manufacture of substandard products intended for use on Ukrainian and European railways. Prosecutors are preparing a motion to impose preventive measures on the suspects within the framework of criminal proceedings under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In Kyiv, a lawyer and six members of a criminal group who organized a scheme to produce forged disability documents to obtain deferrals and travel abroad will stand trial. Prosecutors from the Kyiv City and Darnytskyi District Prosecutor’s Offices have already submitted the relevant indictment to the court.
Law enforcement officers detained the organizer of the scheme, who, for a substantial sum, promised a conscript that he would secure a position as a chaplain to obtain a deferment and the opportunity to travel abroad.
