Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin confirmed the suspicions of three officials of the Ministry of Defense.
Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced this on February 1.
Yes, we are talking about the former deputy minister. He received suspicion for obstructing the legal activities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and other military formations during a special period — he lobbied for the conclusion of contracts for the supply of products for the military at inflated prices, the purchase of low-quality body armor and other items for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The former acting head of the Department of State Procurement and Supply of Material Resources was suspected of misappropriating funds and obstructing the legal activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — organizing the purchase of low-quality body armor.
A current employee of the Ministry of Defense was suspected of having acquired particularly large amounts of money and official forgery. In his position as deputy director of one of the defense enterprises, he entered into a fictitious contract with a foreign company on the inspection, assessment and technical condition of previously repaired 4 engines and 2 main gearboxes for aviation equipment.
- On January 21, ZN.ua journalists 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 in 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.
- On January 24, it became known that the Deputy Minister of Defense Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who was responsible for the rear support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, resigned. Subsequently, the Minister of Defense Reznikov announced changes in the nutrition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — it is about a flexible but unified menu system.