Kyiv company supplied 30,000 sets of defective military uniforms to National Guard exposed

Two founders of a private company that supplied 30,000 sets of defective military uniforms to the National Guard have been exposed in Kyiv.

This was reported by the SBU and the Special Prosecutor's Office for Defence of the Central Region. 

In total, in March-October 2023, the defendants shipped 30,000 items of clothing for Ukrainian defenders worth a total of UAH 28.7 million.

The examination showed that the military uniforms purchased with public funds were sewn using fittings that did not meet the technical specifications.

In particular, the materials used have a lower class of wear resistance, so a soldier will not be able to securely fix protective ammunition and weapons with ammunition on such clothing. Accordingly, this can pose a real threat to the lives and health of Ukrainian soldiers on the front line.

According to the case, the defendants deliberately ‘saved’ on quality materials in order to buy cheaper components and thus make more profit.

During the searches of the defendants' residences, the SBU found commercial documents and a hard drive with evidence of the fraud.

The SBU investigators have served both founders of the company suspicion notices under Part 2 Article 28, Part 5 Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (misappropriation of property by abuse of office committed on a particularly large scale by prior conspiracy by a group of persons under martial law).

The offenders face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. The investigation is ongoing to bring all perpetrators to justice.

• At the end of last year, the director of a Kryvyy Rih-based company was served with a notice of suspicion for supplying 20,000 low-quality sleeping bags to a military unit in 2023.