Mykolaiv region: Officer accused of illegal sale of large batch of diesel fuel

In Mykolaiv region, a deputy division commander for logistics was notified of suspicion of selling a large amount of fuel. He faces up to fifteen years in prison.

This was reported by the press service of the Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office in the Southern Region.

According to the investigation, law enforcement officers exposed a deputy division commander from the rear who was at the center of a corruption scheme involving the theft of military property. The senior lieutenant, using his official position, organized the theft of diesel fuel from a military unit in April-September 2024, involving two subordinates.

The entire mechanism of the theft was well-organized: the soldiers loaded the fuel into plastic containers and delivered it to civilian buyers.

In total, about 25 tons of diesel fuel were sold in this way, for which the military received more than 1.2 million hryvnias. But along with the money, they caused serious damage to the military unit, which negatively affected its combat capability, jeopardizing the fulfillment of tasks to protect the state.

The crime was solved on September 19, 2024, when law enforcement officers detained the suspect while receiving the next "tranche". Currently, the serviceman is in custody, but with the possibility of bail in the amount of UAH 2 million 001 thousand 508.

Under this article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, if such actions are committed under martial law, as well as by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, the defendant faces up to 15 years in prison.

Police investigators and military prosecutors have also recently sent to court the case of a serviceman of a naval unit accused of influence peddling. The defendant promised clients to arrange for their ineligibility for military service and exclusion from military registration in exchange for $900.

In August, law enforcement officers reported a special operation to expose the organizers and participants of criminal schemes to embezzle budget funds allocated for the defense of Ukraine, during which they detained employees of military units in Odesa and several other regions of Ukraine.

In July, law enforcement officers identified those involved in the embezzlement of over UAH 138 million from the state budget. These funds were allocated for the needs of the army. The detainees include an official from Mykolaiv region. During the large-scale special operation, law enforcement officers conducted 70 searches and served 30 notices of suspicion to officials across Ukraine.

Анна Бальчінос