Former Ukraine's Defence Ministry officials conspired with businessman to supply low-quality uniforms and body armour – investigation
www.pravda.com.ua
Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:48:48 +0200
An independent team of professional journalists from Slidstvo.Info has found out that a former Ukrainian Defence Ministry official allegedly colluded with a businessman of Russian origin to supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine with tens of thousands of unusable body armour pieces and poorquality uniforms.
Source investigation by Slidstvo.Info, a Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet Details Slidstvo.Info journalists tested the quality of a new winter jacket provided by a Ukrainian soldier who received it in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
They found out that the jacket was made from lowquality materials and produced loud rustling sounds, posing a danger to soldiers attempting to sneak up on enemies.
The tag on the jacket read Mimaltemer LTD, a Bulgarian company, which, according to documents reviewed by Slidstvo.Info, supplied the Ukrainian army with nearly 50,000 such jackets and trousers in 20222023, costing the Ukrainian budget 8.5 million.
Court register revealed that the company also supplied around 80,000 body armour pieces.
Subsequent investigations conducted by law enforcement determined that these body armour pieces were unsuitable for combat conditions.
Documents reviewed by Slidstvo.Info showed that in 2022, the company received 86.5 million, with 78 million allocated for body armour and 8.5 million for uniforms.
At the time of the initial agreements with the Ukrainian Defence Ministry in spring 2022, Mimaltemer LTD was owned by Isa Israilovich Merzhoev, who, according to Russian databases, holds an active Russian passport.
Later, ownership was transferred to his wife.
On 13 September 2022, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence signed an agreement with her for the supply of almost 50,000 winter clothing sets.
In the winter of 20222023, during the execution of a second contract for body armour, the Bulgarian company purchased body armour in Trkiye at approximately US600 per piece US160 per plate and US273 for the ballistic vest.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry purchased these body armours at 800 each.
One of the court rulings mentioned that official investigations confirmed the body armour was unsuitable for military use, causing financial losses and undermining Ukraines defence capabilities.
Investigators interviewed Merzhoev, former head of Mimaltemer LTD, who claimed to have received no complaints about the jackets supplied and insisted the body armour was of good quality.
Through court register Slidstvo.Info also discovered that the Merzhoev family has been on friendly terms with a Defence Ministry official who played a key role in procuring the body armour and jackets.
This official was identified as Hennadii Vdovychenko, who held the position of the head of the Department for the Development of Material Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2021.
According to an announcement on the Interior Ministrys website, Vdovychenko is currently wanted for evading investigation.
He faces charges under two articles embezzlement or misappropriation of property through abuse of power and obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces, resulting in fatalities or other serious consequences.
These charges carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Vdovychenko responded to Slidstvo.Infos questions in writing, denying any knowledge of substandard jackets and insisting the body armour was of proper quality.
He also stated that he left Ukraine legally and is participating in all court hearings.
However, court records also mentioned other Defence Ministry officials, including Viacheslav Shapovalov and Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.
Journalists suggest that these three former Defence Ministry officials are the ones the Prosecutor Generals Office has accused of embezzling nearly UAH 2 billion approximately US47 million.
The case, now transferred to the High AntiCorruption Court, states that the former officials accepted protective gear without proper verification and distributed substandard equipment to Armed Forces warehouses.
Support UP or become our patron
Latest news
more news