Suppliers of field rations to the Ukrainian Armed Forces are suspected of fraud amounting to 71 million
Investigators have uncovered a scheme involving the supply of substandard field rations to the Ukrainian military. According to the investigation, business owners sent kits containing expired and unfit-for-consumption food items to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while forging quality certification documents, reports.
Law enforcement officials have revealed a large-scale scheme involving meal kits for Ukrainian troops. According to the investigation, two businessmen supplied daily field rations containing substandard products to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and, to conceal this, forged quality certificates.
Investigators say the kits contained expired products or food that should never have been served to soldiers. All of this was mixed in with normal goods, packed into rations, and sent to the front lines. According to the investigation, one of the company’s directors, along with his deputy, supplied such kits worth 62.5 million hryvnias. The head of another firm supplied another 8.6 million.
The case also involves the former acting director of the Ministry of Defense’s Department of State Procurement and Supply of Material Resources. Investigators believe that when drafting the contracts, he failed to include a clause requiring mandatory product quality checks. As a result, the rations reached military units without additional inspection.
On the front lines, the soldiers themselves quickly noticed the poor quality of the food. According to the investigation, the military began complaining en masse about the food in the rations. Following this, forensic food examinations were conducted. They confirmed that some of the products did not meet quality and safety standards. Law enforcement agencies emphasize that the losses to the state, represented by the Ministry of Defense, exceed 71 million hryvnias.
The suppliers have been notified of charges under several counts—specifically regarding embezzlement, official forgery, and the distribution of hazardous products. A former Ministry of Defense official is charged with negligence in military service, which led to serious consequences during martial law.
Investigators have already filed a motion with the court to arrest the company executives. As an alternative, they are proposing bail in the amount of the damages caused. The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officials are checking whether there were other incidents and who else might have been involved in the scheme.
Investigators emphasize that profiting from feeding soldiers during wartime is not just about money. Substandard food could have directly affected the health and combat effectiveness of the soldiers. “Accountability will be inevitable,” law enforcement officials stated.
As a reminder, a scheme to help men flee abroad via the TCC was uncovered in Kharkiv.
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Kyiv police dismantled an interregional cocaine distribution network worth 8 million hryvnias.
