Law enforcement officers detained a businessman who is suspected of supplying thousands of low-quality FPV drones to the Ukrainian army.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, at the beginning of the year, a private company from the Kyiv region, which specializes in the production of unmanned systems, won a tender from the Netishyn City Council for the purchase of a thousand FPV drones for the Armed Forces. Their total value was 16.4 million hryvnias, of which, according to the investigation, the director of the company stole almost a third.
SBU writes that low-quality navigation equipment was installed on the drones — video cameras and video transmitters did not meet the stated requirements for the technical characteristics of the UAV. The entrepreneur artificially reduced the cost of drone production, and appropriated the resulting "difference".
The "cheat" on each drone amounted to 4-7.5 thousand hryvnias, depending on its type. After an audit and a special examination on compliance with the productʼs technical requirements, the law enforcement officers received additional confirmation of the crime.
The director of the company was notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — acquisition of property by abuse of official position. He faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property, and now the issue of choosing a preventive measure for the suspect is being decided.