The National Anti-corruption Bureau (NABU) reported that it has already opened criminal proceedings, within the framework of which it is studying possible abuses by the Ministry of Defense (MDU) in the procurement of food for the military.
NABU reported this on January 23.
The bureau emphasizes that the case was initiated on its own initiative, before it was published in the media. In particular, the investigation is checking purchases worth more than 13 billion hryvnias. Preliminary qualification — part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (waste of property), the investigation is ongoing.
- On January 21, 2023, the publication Zn.ua accused the Ministry of Defense of purchasing food products at several times inflated prices. The article stated that prices for products are three times higher than retail prices in Kyiv supermarkets. The agreement worth 13.16 billion hryvnias was concluded on December 23, 2022. It is about providing food to military units stationed in Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv and Cherkasy regions.
- On January 23, the Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov personally responded to these criticisms, in particular, he explained that the Ministry of Defense does not buy individual products, but a complex service — food supply. The Minister explained that the prices of the eight suppliers are different, as well as the supermarket chains, because each one has its own specialization and own production of a certain group of goods. Product prices are analyzed by special expert institutions.