Position: Deputy Director General of Ukroboronprom.
Area of Corrupt Activity: National security and defense.
Region of Corrupt Activity: All of Ukraine.
Legal Qualification: The actions have been classified under Part 5 of Article 191, Part 3 of Article 209, Part 3 of Article 15, Part 5 of Article 191, Part 2 of Article 28, and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: At liberty.
Case Details: In early March 2026, detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, together with prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, exposed an organized group involved in the embezzlement of funds belonging to state-owned enterprises that were part of the Ukroboronprom concern.
Among the suspects are a former director of a state-owned enterprise who currently holds the position of one of the Deputy Director Generals of JSC Ukrainian Defense Industry, his former adviser, and the beneficial owner of a private company.
According to the investigation, between 2014 and 2019, the scheme participants misappropriated more than UAH 32 million and attempted to unlawfully obtain an additional UAH 19 million.
The scheme was based on the use of fictitious intermediaries in foreign trade contracts for the supply of military-purpose products. In particular, a special exporter formally engaged foreign companies registered in the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic, allegedly to provide intermediary services. In reality, these entities performed no work whatsoever—all the functions were carried out by employees of the state-owned enterprise.
Nevertheless, between 2014 and 2019, more than USD 560,000 and approximately EUR 670,000 were transferred to the accounts of these companies, equivalent to approximately UAH 32.6 million. According to the investigation, the funds passed through the accounts of fictitious entities and were subsequently distributed among members of the criminal group.
In addition, between 2016 and 2019, officials prepared documents for additional payments to foreign companies totaling approximately USD 172,000 and EUR 500,000. However, these funds were not transferred because the suspects learned that NABU and SAPO were conducting active investigative actions into similar schemes.
The suspects are charged with misappropriation of property on an especially large scale, money laundering, official document forgery, and attempted misappropriation of funds.
“The former adviser to the director of the special-export enterprise and the beneficial owner of the private company are also suspects in another NABU and SAPO criminal proceeding concerning the misappropriation of UAH 146 million belonging to state-owned enterprises that were part of the Ukroboronprom concern. The investigation is ongoing,” NABU stated.
Subsequently, the High Anti-Corruption Court set bail at UAH 10 million for Taras Shyiko, Deputy Director General of Ukroboronprom, who was notified of suspicion of embezzling and laundering more than UAH 32 million through fictitious agency agreements with foreign companies.
This was reported by the Anti-Corruption Action Center.
According to the report, Shyiko was notified of suspicion of embezzling and laundering funds through agency agreements with foreign companies registered in the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. At the time of the alleged crime, Shyiko held the position of director of the state-owned export enterprise Progress.
At the end of October 2026, it became known that, after December 21, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office would send an indictment to court against Taras Shyiko, Deputy Director General for Security of JSC Ukroboronprom, Anton Voronin, and Viktor Markelov in the case concerning the misappropriation of UAH 32 million.
The High Anti-Corruption Court’s ruling of September 21 set December 21 as the deadline for the defense to review the investigation materials.
“Set a deadline of December 21, 2026, inclusive, for the defense, namely: the suspect (Shyiko) and his defense counsel; the suspect (Voronin) and his defense counsel; the suspect (Markelov) and his defense counsel, as well as any other defense counsel who may be engaged to represent the suspects in this criminal proceeding, to review the materials of the pre-trial investigation. Upon expiry of this deadline, the defense shall be deemed to have exercised its right of access to those materials,” the ruling states.
Also, at the end of October 2026, anti-corruption authorities reported another suspicion against a former head of one of the state-owned enterprises within the Ukrspetseksport State Company, concerning the embezzlement of more than UAH 1.1 billion.
SAPO stated verbatim: “Under the procedural supervision of a SAPO prosecutor, NABU detectives exposed a scheme to embezzle funds from a state-owned enterprise that is part of the Ukrspetseksport State Company and has exclusive authority to export and import military-purpose goods.”
According to media reports, the person in question is the current Deputy Director General of Ukroboronprom, Taras Shyiko, who held the position of director of the state-owned foreign trade enterprise Progress, which was part of the Ukrspetseksport structure, at the time of the alleged unlawful actions.
The pre-trial investigation established that in 2015, the former head of this state-owned enterprise entered into an agreement with a foreign company that was to receive remuneration for intermediary services in the sale of Ukrainian military products.
However, in reality, the state-owned enterprise conducted negotiations with a customer from a Middle Eastern country independently, without the participation of this company. Despite this, the former director signed certificates confirming allegedly provided agency services and arranged for funds to be transferred to the foreign company.
These actions caused the state-owned enterprise losses of more than USD 43 million (over UAH 1.1 billion). The suspect’s actions were classified under Part 5 of Article 191 and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Individuals Potentially Involved in Corruption Schemes: Taras Shyiko, Deputy Director General for Security of JSC Ukroboronprom; Anton Voronin; and Viktor Markelov.
Assets: According to YouControl data and the suspect’s submitted declarations, Taras Shyiko and his family members own or use a number of real estate properties and vehicles. Taras Shyiko himself owns a residential house with an area of 77.9 m², title to which was acquired on September 7, 2002. The declarant also owns two land plots measuring 2,500 m² and 1,228 m², acquired on the same date—September 7, 2002—valued at UAH 10,200 and UAH 5,100, respectively. In addition, in 2024, Shyiko acquired ownership of another land plot measuring 20,100 m².
Taras Shyiko uses an apartment with an area of 81.21 m², the right to use which was acquired on February 15, 2008, together with his wife, Svitlana Shyiko, and daughter, Antonina Shyiko, under another right of use. The apartment is owned by Shyiko Volodymyr Tarasovych. In addition, the declarant, together with his wife Svitlana Shyiko and Shyiko Ivan Tarasovych, jointly own an apartment measuring 78.38 m². The apartment is held in joint ownership; the ownership right was acquired on April 27, 1994, and its value is UAH 39,190.
The declaration also lists unfinished construction projects: a residential house measuring 218.5 m² and a garage measuring 60.5 m² owned by the declarant, as well as an apartment measuring 123.38 m² declared by his wife, Svitlana Shyiko (ownership has not been registered in accordance with the established procedure).
As for movable property, the declarant’s wife, Svitlana Shyiko, owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400, acquired on June 14, 2022, for UAH 2,000,000. Taras Shyiko himself declared a 2005 Mercedes-Benz ML270, ownership of which he acquired on November 1, 2005, for UAH 307,883.
Among his financial assets, the declarant listed cash holdings of EUR 40,000 and USD 43,000, as well as funds held in bank accounts at several institutions. His wife, Svitlana Shyiko, declared EUR 21,704 and USD 5,001 in accounts at OTP Bank and PrivatBank, respectively, as well as deposits with JSC Joint-Stock Commercial Bank Arkada totaling UAH 846,360.
The declarant’s income for 2025 amounted to UAH 9,026,238 in salary from JSC Ukrainian Defense Industry, as well as UAH 223,386 in pension payments.
Authorities Responsible for Responding: Law enforcement agencies should have paid attention to the criminal schemes involving Shyiko much earlier—in particular, employees of the State Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Prosecutor General, NABU, and SAPO. According to the investigation, the scheme had been operating for several years.
Scandals: Before the emergence of the corruption schemes, he had not been identified as a participant in any other scandals.
Sources:
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/2f0425ca-1812-4a88-8e33-13a79176aeeb