“Ukrainian Armored Vehicles” reported that SBU conducted searches during which the deputy director was beaten. SBU denies this (UPD)

The defense company "Ukrainian Armored Vehicles" stated that on the morning of July 9, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) came to search the first deputy director of the company and severely beat him, after which the man was hospitalized.

In an official statement, the company called the SBU searches illegal, saying they were conducted as part of a falsified criminal case. They believe the case is aimed at “exclusively organizing pressure on the largest private Ukrainian company in the defense-industrial complex and undermining Ukraine’s defense capabilities”.

According to Ukrainian Armored Vehicles, in February 2026, the State Enterprise Defense Procurement Agency (DOT) reported the purchase of disposable anti-tank grenade launchers for the needs of the General Staff. Approximately 20 companies, including “Ukrainian Armored Vehicles”, participated in the tender.

The company claims that it offered several models of grenade launchers that are analogues of the RPG-18, RPG-22 and RPG-26, and after two rounds of negotiations with the manufacturers, it reduced its price offer twice. According to the results of the procurement, DOT chose the cheapest option — RPG-75M grenade launchers from the Czech manufacturer Zeveta Ammunition.

“Ukrainian Armored Vehicles” notes that they have fully fulfilled the contract and delivered the products to the designated warehouse in June 2026. At the same time, the company claims that DOT has not yet finally accepted these grenade launchers, but the customer did not make any complaints about their quality.

At the same time, the company stated that SBU is allegedly trying to prove the inadequate quality of the delivered grenade launchers using "custom expertise", without involving the manufacturer in the assessment.

"Investigators absolutely do not take into account the fact that the specified grenade launchers were supplied directly from the manufacturing plant, which is not involved in resolving the issue of assessing the quality or condition of the delivered grenade launchers," the company added.

The company also accused the Security Service officers of using force during searches and appealed to the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office to verify the legality of the criminal proceedings and the actions of law enforcement officers.

SBU position

The Security Service confirmed that today, together with the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office, it conducted more than ten searches in the case of the purchase of obsolete grenade launchers for the Armed Forces of Ukraine for more than UAH 318 million.

This concerns a contract between the State Enterprise "Defense Procurement Agency" and a private company for the supply of 6 000 disposable RPG-75M anti-tank grenade launchers for UAH 637 million.

Under the terms of the contract, the supplier was to deliver new weapons manufactured in 2024-2026. At the same time, according to SBU, even before the contract was signed, the Logistics Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned the state purchaser that this type of grenade launcher was ineffective and recommended considering other models. Despite this, the contract was signed, and the company received an advance payment of UAH 318.5 million.

In May 2026, one of the military units received the first batch of 3,024 grenade launchers. SBU claims that the military unit did not adopt them, but only kept them for temporary storage due to doubts about their quality.

According to the investigation, instead of new weapons, grenade launchers manufactured in 1986-1988 were installed. During the inspection, law enforcement officers discovered old factory markings in Czech under new labels, as well as traces of oxidation on individual parts. SBU believes that the true year of manufacture, technical condition, and origin of the products were attempted to be concealed by re-marking and using forged documents.

The investigation is also investigating a possible collusion between officials of the State Enterprise "Defense Procurement Agency" and the supplier company. According to SBU, the losses to the state amount to UAH 318.5 million — the amount of the advance payment paid for the weapons that were not accepted.

In addition, the special service stated that this same foreign supplier had already tried to sell these grenade launchers to Ukraine in 2022-2023, but the contract was then terminated due to an attempt to supply old weapons under the guise of new ones. According to the investigation, the price of that contract was approximately nine times lower.

The criminal case is being investigated under the article on obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during a special period.

At the same time, SBU denied the statement of the "Ukrainian Armored Vehicles" about the beating of the first deputy director during the searches.

The special service assures that physical force was not used against any person, the searches were conducted in accordance with the law, and no comments were received from the participants in the investigative actions. According to them, this is confirmed by the protocols and video recordings of the searches.

• “Ukrainian Armored Vehicles” is the largest private defense company in Ukraine by revenue in 2024. It produces armored vehicles and components for Ukrainian weapons, including the “Bohdana” artillery mount, the “Neptune” missile system, and the “Vilkha” MLRS. The New York Times linked the company to former MP Serhiy Pashinsky, but he denies this.

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