Vitaly Sayenko13:46, 07.07.25
The deal was organized by the former head of one of the departments of the Ministry of Defense and two of his accomplices from a contracting company.
In Ukraine, a former official of the Ministry of Defense was exposed for stealing UAH 90 million from the purchase of anti-tank weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reports on social media, military counterintelligence, investigators, and the Prosecutor General’s Office have uncovered another scheme to embezzle funds, which was carried out by the previous leadership of the Ministry of Defense.
“The perpetrators embezzled over 90 million budget hryvnias to purchase defective anti-tank missile systems (ATMS) for the needs of the front,” the report says.
It is noted that this weaponry plays a key role in destroying enemy armored groups trying to break through the defensive positions of Ukrainian troops.Read also:
“As a result of comprehensive measures in Kyiv, the organizer of the transaction was exposed – the former head of one of the departments of the Ministry of Defense and two of his accomplices from the contractor company,” the report specifies.
As UNIAN learned from sources in law enforcement agencies, we are talking about Oleksandr Liev, who headed the Department of Military-Technical Policy, Development of Armaments and Military Equipment of the Ministry of Defense.
The investigation established that, while in office during 2022-2023, he concluded a state contract for the supply of anti-tank weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“According to the concluded contract, the capital’s defense company was supposed to supply the military department with much-needed ATGMs, which were to be immediately sent to the front line. However, instead of modern weapons, the contractors supplied customers with anti-tank installations unsuitable for their intended use, and the received budget funds were taken into the shadows,” the report notes.
In this regard, the conclusions of an independent examination initiated by the SBU confirmed the faulty tactical and technical condition of the ATGM.
Based on the collected evidence, SBU investigators informed the former head of the Ministry of Defense department, the former head of the contracting company, and his deputy about suspicion under three articles of the Criminal Code:
- Part 2 of Article 114-1 (“obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, which led to grave consequences”);
- Part 5 of Article 191 (“embezzlement, embezzlement of property or taking possession of it through abuse of official position”);
- Part 2 of Article 366 (“official forgery, which led to serious consequences”).
The defendants face up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Stealing public money
In April, it became known that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office exposed a scheme of embezzlement of public funds during the Ministry of Defense’s procurement of food products for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During August-December 2022, two supplier companies controlled by the same owner illegally received excess profits in the amount of more than UAH 733 million.
(c)UNIAN 2025