War is a time when the line between life and death thins to an invisible line, when every day means a struggle for existence, dignity and independence. Ukraine is in a state of the most brutal war, and at this time, more than ordinary courage is required from everyone. People give their last to support the army by donating their savings. Our defenders give their health and lives to protect the state. But, unfortunately, even at this tragic moment, there are those for whom the war has become an opportunity to line their pockets.
Officials who, instead of organizing protection and aid, build their wealth on government orders and humanitarian aid. Pseudo-volunteers who try to gain fame and fortune under the guise of charity collections are raising funds not for the army, but for their own luxury cars or villas. And ordinary fraudsters, who use the trust of those who sincerely want to help, withdraw money through fictitious funds or resell humanitarian goods intended for those who risk their lives at the front.
This reality strikes at the most sacred thing – the trust and unity of Ukrainians. At a time when millions of people donate their last hryvnias, when parents send their sons to the front, someone counts the profits from the sale of body armor or products sold on the black market that should save lives. Shameful profiting on the blood and tears of the Ukrainian people has become commonplace for those who have never been a true part of this nation.
Tenders for blood
State procurement during the war became a field for unprecedented abuses. Corrupt officials have created a whole system where supplies for the army are purchased at prices many times higher than market prices. Unreasonably inflated prices for uniforms, bulletproof vests, food and even fuel — all this became part of a huge corruption scheme. In addition, the quality of such goods also remains in great doubt, and therefore endangers the combat effectiveness of the Armed Forces and, most importantly, the lives of our soldiers.
Why is this happening? Because war is a time when the need to quickly supply resources to an army allows officials to operate almost unchecked. The tender system, which was already imperfect, became even more vulnerable to manipulation in the war. Contractors, who used to be only middlemen, have now developed large-scale schemes to resell goods at inflated prices. And all this under the guise of “army support”.
The beginning of 2024 was marked by a high-profile case against officials of the Ministry of Defense. Currently, the former Deputy Minister of Defense, who was responsible for the rear support of the Armed Forces, acting head of the Department of State Procurement and Supply of Material Resources, as well as acting the head of the central department of quality control of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine were caught in illegal activities against the Armed Forces, which caused serious consequences for 1.4 billion UAH and the waste of public funds in the amount of more than 222 million UAH. Thus, with the light hand of the ex-deputy minister of defense, a contract was concluded on the supply of body armor, helmets and clothing for the armed forces at inflated prices and of low quality. Such a crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The former officials were informed about the suspicion, and the case itself was referred to the court.
The second no less loud case happened quite recently. The director of Chernihiv LLC was caught trying to hide the consequences of his criminal activities. The man was engaged in supplying low-quality food products to border guards. The suspect was detained while trying to pay a bribe of 2,000 dollars to the deputy head of the department of internal and personal security of one of the border detachments for not taking response measures and not sending materials to the pre-trial investigation body regarding the use of knowingly forged documents by officials of the LLC. The investigation established that contracts were concluded between the suspect and the border squad on the purchase of food products with state funds in the amount of over UAH 1.1 million. After the delivery of each such batch of food products specified in the contracts, representatives of the LLC provided forged documents certifying the quality of these products. Currently, the issue of selecting a preventive measure in the form of detention is being resolved.
Pay back and profit from the war
The most terrible cases in this history are the so-called rollbacks. Entrepreneurs who win tenders not only inflate the prices of goods and services, but also give part of the profit to the officials who ensure that they win the tenders. This is a classic scheme that was known even before the war. But now this practice has turned into a large-scale business, where cash flows are measured in millions, and sometimes billions of hryvnias.
Such corruption schemes do not just harm the economy. They undermine people’s trust in the authorities, in volunteer organizations, and in the entire society. At a time when every soldier at the front is risking his life for the sake of our future, someone in cozy offices collects “kickbacks” and lavishes them with funds that should go to the defense of the country.
The head of one of the departments of the Kherson OVA entered into a conspiracy with the owner and manager of a private company. Together, the criminals organized the overestimation of the cost of the technical inspection of 107 objects of social infrastructure, namely schools, hospitals, which were damaged as a result of Russian aggression by more than 15 times. In this way, the contract was concluded for the amount of over 9.9 million hryvnias, while the actual services provided cost 534 thousand hryvnias. As a result, the participants of the scheme took over the funds of the reserve fund of the Cabinet of Ministers in the amount of more than UAH 7.7 million.
The former deputy head of the Volyn Regional Government Myroslava Yakymchuk together with seven other participants organized a criminal scheme for evaders under the guise of providing volunteer assistance to the Armed Forces. In the period from August 2022 to April 2023, the perpetrators transported more than 100 people across the border as volunteers. the cost of such a service was 5 thousand dlrs per person. The perpetrators received money through intermediaries, and their clients were entered into the “Shlyah” system, which enabled the men to cross the border without hindrance. As it became known, on September 4, 2024, Myroslav Yakymchuk was released by agreement of the parties.
There are many such cases, it is impossible to list them all.
Pseudovolunteers
The topic of war profiteering is often discussed in the context of officials using their power for their own enrichment. However, not only the representatives of the authorities are profiting from this tragedy. Along with them, other groups appear – among them there are even volunteers and fraudsters who take advantage of people’s trust and the situation for financial gain.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the volunteer movement has become an integral part of the defense and support of the army. Volunteers collect funds for equipment, equipment, medicines and other needs for the military. At the same time, people give their last to help the army. However, among thousands of honest people who selflessly work for the good of the country, there are also those who use the guise of volunteering to line their own pockets.
Fraudsters who create fictitious charity funds or collect money for the non-existent needs of the army often appear in the war. They play on people’s patriotic feelings and willingness to help defenders. The most gullible people can be found in social networks, where various fraudulent campaigns are activated under the guise of collecting fees for drones, cars or even helping wounded soldiers.
In addition to fake fees, some fraudsters use humanitarian aid for their own enrichment. In the occupied territories and in the rear, there were cases when humanitarian goods intended for civilians or military ended up on the black market. Products, clothes, medicines, which were given as free aid, are resold for money.
Fictitious charitable organizations that have the “support” of large international donors or well-known personalities become another direction for profit. Under the guise of collecting money for the needs of the army or victims of war, they receive huge sums that never reach the recipients
We see reports in the news about volunteer organizations raising millions, but some of these organizations are not as transparent as they seem. Some of them actually collaborate with government agencies and benefit from inflated tenders, using charity as a cover for corruption.
In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, Bohdan Lenigevych, the head of the charitable organization “BO Turbota Charitable Foundation”, a deputy of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council from the “Batkivshchyna” party, under the guise of humanitarian aid, imported cars for Ukrainian defenders, and then sold them to the military and civilians for a lot of money . The fraudster was caught while trying to pull off a scam, during which he offered three cars for the military for 20,000 dl. At the same time, the perpetrator, together with the sharers, drew up fictitious acts of acceptance – transfer of free humanitarian aid for reporting purposes. The law provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of up to 7 years with confiscation of property. The investigation has been ongoing for two years.
Anna Skolbushevska, a former employee of the “Hospitaliers” medical battalion, known by the nickname “Admiral Nyav”, became famous for collecting donations allegedly for the needs of the Armed Forces and spending them on gambling and other entertainment, covering herself with patches and regalia of her battalion, having already been dismissed from its ranks . Currently, Anna is being treated for her addiction, and “Hospitaliers” filed a complaint with law enforcement agencies regarding the embezzlement of funds.
In the spring of this year, law enforcement officers exposed the activities of a criminal group in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Criminals searched the Internet for announcements about collecting funds for the aid of the Armed Forces and the treatment of soldiers, posed as representatives of international volunteer organizations, obtained personal bank data and withdrew money to bank accounts under their control. Thus, fraudsters managed to defraud almost 100 residents of Ukraine from different parts of the country, causing damage of UAH 1.3 million. The court found the perpetrators of the crime guilty and sentenced the organizer of the group to 9.5 years and his accomplices to 8.5 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. As it became known, almost UAH 330,000 has already been compensated to the victims.
In the Kyiv region, the charity fund “Save the Motherland” launched its “pseudo-volunteers” in the form of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to collect money for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As it became known, swindlers give 20-30% of the money to volunteers to receive thanks from the military and take photos. They spread these thanks on the tables next to the donation boxes. The “Save the Homeland” fund under the leadership of Mykola Osaul places boxes with its “military volunteers” in many districts of Kyiv and collects cash. Currently, a case under the article “fraud” has been opened against this organization.
The war exposes not only heroes, but also real traitors who, behind the backs of those who give their lives for freedom, choose the way to profit from blood and human grief. Officials, pseudo-volunteers and fraudsters who use the war as an opportunity to enrich themselves are no less dangerous for Ukraine than the enemy at the front. Their actions undermine not only the economy, but also faith in justice, community and unity of the people. Each such case is a blow to trust, which will be extremely difficult to restore.
But the most terrible thing is that they profit from donations made by ordinary Ukrainians who sacrifice their last for the common victory, profit from our defenders who give their lives in this terrible war. This has to end. After the war, Ukraine has no right to become a state where thieves go unpunished. Everyone who profited from war must answer for their actions to show that humanity and dignity are more important than money and lust for power. Otherwise, the victory will be only half-hearted, and betrayal from within will remain another insurmountable front.
