Employees from a Ukrainian arms firm conspired with defence ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million (€37 million) earmarked to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war against Russia, Ukraine’s security service reported.
The SSU said in a statement that five people have been charged, with one person detained while trying to cross the Ukrainian border. If found guilty, they face up to 12 years in prison.
According to the statement, The SSU Military Counterintelligence uncovered this scheme in December 2023, then were able to detain a directorate head in the Minstry of Defence.
The investigation revealed that the official had “tried to misappropriate budget funds allocated for state military orders.”
“The perpetrator organised a transfer of almost 1.5 billion Hryvinias (some €39 million) from the Ministry of Defence balance sheet to foreign accounts of an affiliated intermediary company to buy artillery shells,” according to the SSU.
Credit: rfi
