Millions of losses in procurement for the army: officials in Mykolaiv region profited from fuel

In the framework of the program "Dishonest Procurement", law enforcement officers eliminated corruption schemes that caused losses to the state budget in the amount of more than 30 million. One of the episodes was documented in Mykolaiv region, where officials organized a systematic misappropriation of fuel and lubricants.

This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office.

Currently, four organizers of the scheme have already been notified of suspicion, including former heads of departments of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as responsible officials of the military unit: the head of the fuel and lubricants service and the head of the refueling station.

The investigation found that during 2022-2025, the group systematically falsified the combat training plans of the units. Despite the fact that the training did not actually take place, the suspects entered data on its implementation in official documents. This was the reason for the unjustified allocation of hundreds of tons of fuel. To legalize the fraud, they created a chain of fictitious invoices and property movement reports, while the real fuel was sold to third parties for cash.

In total, the criminals managed to sell almost 133 tons of gasoline and over 364 tons of diesel, causing the state losses of UAH 22 million. The officials of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff were detained and a measure of restraint has been chosen. The actions of the suspects are classified as misappropriation of military property under martial law and forgery.

Separately, in Zhytomyr region, the head of a district housing and maintenance unit was suspected of negligence in service. The official allowed paying 20% VAT when purchasing fuel oil, despite the current zero rate for the defense sector. This led to the loss of 8.3 million budget funds. The defendant faces up to 8 years in prison.

In total, since the beginning of 2026, 54 people have been suspected of abuses in defense procurement . The total losses to the state in these proceedings reach a record 3.4 billion hryvnias. Law enforcement officers continue to work on compensation.

Катерина Глушко