NABU and SAPO reported that they had uncovered a million-dollar bribery scheme in procurement at the State Border Guard Service

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office (SAPO) reported that they had exposed an official of the State Border Guard Service and the owner of a private drone manufacturing company in extorting a bribe.

According to investigators, in August 2025, one of the military units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine initiated the purchase of 270 UAVs. The owner of the drone manufacturing company agreed with an official of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine that his company would receive the contract. However, another private company offered a more favorable price — UAH 825 million — and won the tender.

Realizing that the previous plan had been thwarted, the owner of the competing company, in collusion with the border guards, began to demand a bribe from the winner of the tender. He said that $1 million needed to be paid in order to conclude the contract without any problems and for the State Border Guard Service to then accept the equipment without any problems. He and the border guards planned to divide this amount between themselves.

In order to finally convince the director of the winning company of the need for a bribe, he was arranged to have a telephone conversation with a representative of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, who informed him that these requirements had been agreed with the State Border Guard Service Administration.

The State Border Service responded that in Kyiv, the NABU officers conducted searches in several units of the State Border Service of Ukraine and detained its serviceman. They claim that the procurement procedure itself was conducted legally, the company with the lowest price was recognized as the winner, and the detained serviceman did not have the opportunity to influence the tender. The State Border Service is cooperating with the investigation to clarify all the circumstances.

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