Scandal in Khmelnytskyi: Mayor suspected of fraud with drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
6 December 14:31
In Khmelnytsky region, the mayor is suspected of negligence in the purchase of drones for the military. This led to losses of UAH 6 million. This was reported by Komersant ukrainskyi with reference to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
According to the investigation, in 2024, the city council purchased 1,000 quadcopters for more than UAH 16 million. These drones were to be transferred to the Ukrainian Defense Forces to perform military tasks.
However, according to the investigation, a third of this amount was actually misappropriated by the contractor, who significantly reduced the cost of the drones. Instead of the high-quality equipment stipulated by the contract, the drones were equipped with much cheaper cameras and video transmitters. This allowed the company to “save” from 4 to 7.5 thousand hryvnias on each quadcopter.
The mayor, according to the prosecutor’s office, did not check the compliance of the delivered drones with the technical characteristics specified in the contract. Nevertheless, he signed the acceptance certificates for the equipment, which resulted in losses to the state in excess of UAH 6.1 million.
The contractor who fulfilled the order was previously served a notice of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – misappropriation of property in a particularly large scale.
Investigative actions are ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the case.
