NABU and SAPO exposed a scheme to steal 90 million hryvnias using drones for the Defense Forces
NABU and SAP exposed a large-scale corruption scheme to embezzle 90 million hryvnias, organized by officials of the State Special Communications Service together with representatives of private companies during the procurement of drones for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
According to the investigation, after amendments were made to the State Budget in 2023, the State Special Communications Service received 30 billion hryvnias for the purchase of UAVs. Then the head of one of the department’s departments developed a plan to embezzle part of the allocated funds.
The scheme provided for the supply of drones at significantly inflated prices through predetermined companies. To create the appearance of competition, controlled companies were involved in tenders, and the results of marketing research were also falsified.
As a result, from May to September 2023, the State Service for Special Communications purchased 400 DJI Mavic 3 drones and 1,300 Autel Evo Max 4T at prices that exceeded market prices by 70–90%. As a result, the state suffered losses of over UAH 90 million.
The participants in the transaction transferred the funds received to the accounts of controlled companies, including abroad. Thanks to the operational actions of the NABU and the SAP, more than USD 4 million was seized in foreign accounts and UAH 17 million in Ukraine.
Two officials of the State Service for Special Communications and two representatives of private structures were notified of suspicion of embezzlement of state funds in particularly large amounts (Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The investigation is ongoing — law enforcement officers are identifying other possible participants in this scheme.
