Corruption in the procurement of UAVs and electronic warfare equipment — NABU and SAPO reported suspicions to six defendants

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office (SAPO) reported suspicions to members of an organized criminal group, which, according to the investigation, is involved in a corruption scheme in the procurement of UAVs and electronic warfare equipment.

This is reported by NABU and SAPO.

It is about:

• the ex-head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration (RSA). Suspilne and UP wrote that it was Serhii Haidai. After the scheme was exposed, Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him from the post of head of the Mukachevo RSA;
• the MP of the Verkhovna Rada. According to media reports, this is Oleksiy Kuznetsov, an MP from the “Servant of the People” party. He is being asked to choose a preventive measure in the form of detention with the alternative of paying bail in the amount of UAH 30 million;
• the head of the city military administration. The media say that this is the head of the Rubizhna Regional Military Administration (RMA) Andriy Yurchenko. The president dismissed Andriy Yurchenko from his position;
• the commander of a military unit of the National Guard;
• the owner and director of a drone manufacturing company.

The beneficiary and the director of the UAV manufacturing company were additionally charged by law enforcement with obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the investigation, they arranged for men to work for a monetary reward, provided them with reservations, effectively blocking the possibility of their mobilization into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A petition has already been sent to the court to impose preventive measures on those involved in the case.

What preceded

On August 2, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office reported the discovery of a deal to purchase drones and electronic warfare equipment.

According to law enforcement officials, a sitting MP, heads of district and city military administrations, and National Guard soldiers were caught taking bribes. The defendants concluded state contracts with suppliers at deliberately inflated prices — up to 30% of the contract amount was returned to the businessmen, say the Bureauʼs employees. The commander of the National Guard removed from their positions the defendants in the NABU and SAPO corruption case.

The next day, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Serhii Haidai from the position of head of the Mukachevo RSA and Andriy Yurchenko from the position of head of the Rubizhna RMA.

As Suspilne and UP wrote, citing sources in law enforcement agencies, among the defendants in the case are the head of the Mukachevo RSA and former head of the Luhansk RMA Serhii Haidai, the head of the Rubizhna RMA of the Luhansk region Andriy Yurchenko, and the MP from the “Servant of the People” Oleksiy Kuznetsov.

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