Head of the Defence Ministry’s department failed to declare assets worth UAH 14 million
24 February 07:36
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has exposed the head of the Defence Ministry’s Main Department of Capital Investments for corruption, who bought and “re-signed” real estate and an elite car fleet to his civilian wife in 2022-2023. This was reported by the SBU press service, according to
According to the investigation, during 2022-2023, the defendant illegally enriched himself by almost UAH 14 million.
“Later, for this money, he bought two apartments in new buildings, a garage and a parking space near Kyiv. In addition, the official bought three premium cars, including LEXUS and BMW, for the “profits” received. To conceal the acquired assets, the official transferred them to his common-law wife. At the same time, the defendant issued a power of attorney to manage this property,”
– said the law enforcement officers.
The investigation also revealed the fact that the official concealed more than UAH 3 million from declaring, and kept another UAH 3.5 million with his civilian wife.
Based on the SBU military counterintelligence materials, the MoD official was served a notice of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: art. 368-5 (illicit enrichment); Art. 1 of Art. 366-2 (declaration of false information).
The issue of choosing a type of detention is currently being decided. The offender faces up to 10 years in prison.



Embezzlement scandal in procurement for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In January 2023, the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia newspaper reported on a scandal involving embezzlement in the procurement of food for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to journalist Yuriy Nikolov, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts for the purchase of overpriced food, including eggs and potatoes. This information caused a great deal of publicity and led to the summoning of the Ministry of Defence leadership to a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence.
The Ministry of Defence responded to the allegations, calling them deliberate manipulations aimed at misleading the public. As a result of the investigation into the scandal, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, the Deputy Minister of Defence in charge of logistics of the Armed Forces, announced his resignation and was arrested on 2 February 2023 on a substantial bail.
Recently, the State Bureau of Investigation completed an investigation into former officials of the Ministry of Defence who are accused of purchasing low-quality clothing and uniforms for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The former Ministry officials are suspected of “obstructing the legitimate activities of the Armed Forces, which caused grave consequences worth UAH 1.4 billion and embezzlement of over UAH 222 million”.
The former Deputy Minister of Defence, according to the investigation, lobbied for contracts for low-quality clothing and equipment at inflated prices and on a full prepayment basis. According to one of the episodes of the case, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received bulletproof vests of inadequate quality from abroad, which cannot be used in combat without endangering life.
This case resonates with the high-profile case of businessman Ihor Hrynkevych, who is accused of supplying the Armed Forces with low-quality clothing worth UAH 1.2 billion. The day before, all five members of the criminal group were detained and remanded in custody with a total bail of over UAH 2.5 billion.
It is worth noting that one of the most high-profile procurement scandals of the Ministry of Defence, the “eggs for UAH 17”, has not been proven as a crime to date .