Six suspected of corruption in procurement of UAVs and electronic warfare equipment

NABU and SAPO have notified six persons, members of an organized criminal group, of suspicion over a corruption scheme involving the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare systems.

The suspects are:

• a former head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration;
• an MP;
• the head of a city military administration;
• the commander of a National Guard military unit;
• the beneficial owner of a UAV manufacturing company;
• the director of the UAV manufacturing company.

The beneficial owner and the director of the UAV company are additionally charged with obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the investigation, they were paid to employ individuals and provide them with military service deferments, effectively preventing their mobilization into the Armed Forces.

The other day, NABU and SAPO exposed a large-scale corruption scheme in the procurement of UAVs and electronic warfare systems. As established, in 2024–2025, an organized criminal group systematically misappropriated funds allocated by local authorities for defense needs.

One of the documented episodes involved the purchase of electronic warfare systems. For signing a contract at knowingly inflated prices, members of the group received up to 30% of the contract value as an undue advantage. A similar scheme was used in the procurement of FPV drones worth nearly UAH 10 million. The company delivered the products at an overestimated cost — about USD 80,000 more — after which part of the funds was paid out as kickbacks to group members.

With the consent of the Prosecutor General, a motion has been submitted to the court seeking pre-trial detention for the suspected MP, with an alternative of bail set at UAH 30 million.

Motions requesting pre-trial restraint measures for the other suspects involved in the case have also been submitted to the court.