Law enforcement officers reported suspicions against the former director of the Ministry of Defense department — he is suspected of supplying defective mortars to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This is written by SBU and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
SBU and the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office say that in 2023 the Ministry of Defense purchased 250 foreign 120-mm mortars. When the weapons arrived, it turned out that they did not meet the manufacturerʼs promises: they shoot inaccurately, break quickly, and because of this, the military nicknamed the mortars "paper".
Moreover, they threatened the lives of artillerymen.
Investigators found that the official signed a contract with an unverified company and did not even conduct mandatory tests before the purchase. Despite this, the company was sent over UAH 182 million in advance.
Even after attempts to correct the defects, the mortars were never made usable. They have already been withdrawn from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Now the former official faces up to six years in prison for abuse of office with grave consequences.
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