SBI Exposes Ex-Defense Official in Machine Gun Scam

The former head of one of the Departments of the Ministry of Defense and two heads of a state-owned enterprise have been charged with embezzlement and misappropriation of property, as well as obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Prosecutor General's Office reports this.

According to media reports, this is the former head of the Department of Military Policy, Armament Development and Military Equipment of the Ministry of Defense, Oleksandr Liev, who was previously suspected of embezzling almost 1.5 billion hryvnias in a scheme involving officials of the Ministry of Defense and heads of the Lviv Arsenal during the purchase of ammunition.

SBI investigators found that officials were supposed to deliver 400 certified large-caliber machine guns to the front in 2022. Instead, they pulled off a deal that resulted in the troops receiving cheap analogues that were not suitable for their intended use instead of high-quality weapons. In addition, only half of the declared number of machine guns were delivered.

The 200 machine guns purchased at state expense had no markings, relevant technical documentation, or accompanying documents. During their combat use, the weapons could not fire continuously and after the first shots they generally failed due to the destruction of parts and mechanisms.

Because of this, the state budget suffered losses of over 193 million hryvnias, and the Ukrainian military exposed themselves to danger.

A former official of the Ministry of Defense is suspected of embezzlement of property through abuse of official position, committed on a particularly large scale, and obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which led to grave consequences (Part 5 of Article 191, Part 2 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)

Two heads of a state-owned enterprise are suspected of committing similar crimes, as well as of official forgery (Part 2 of Article 366, Part 2 of Article 114-1 and Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The sanction of the article provides for a penalty of imprisonment for up to 15 years.

Let us remind you that Oleksandr Liev is a person involved in the EBK base.

We also previously reported that the State Bureau of Investigation reported suspicions to State Emergency Service officials who purchased two thousand tablets at inflated prices.