Officials who stole from the Armed Forces of Ukraine for firewood will be tried in Kherson

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation have completed a pre-trial investigation and sent to court indictments against the deputy head of the Kherson Housing and Maintenance Department and his subordinate, who organized a corruption scheme for the purchase of fuel for the military.

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation.

The investigation found that in early 2024, the officials were supposed to purchase firewood for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but instead of looking for a favorable offer, they customized the tender documents for their 'own' entrepreneur. At the direction of his superior, the subordinate entered false information into the documents to ensure that the pre-selected but economically disadvantageous offer would win.

Based on the falsified documents, a contract for almost UAH 2 million was concluded. As a result of such actions, the amount of overpayment amounted to more than UAH 431 thousand, which caused significant losses to the state.

The criminals are charged with abuse of office, which caused grave consequences (Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The officials face up to six years in prison for this crime.

The scheme was uncovered thanks to the cooperation of the SBI and the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police. The Kherson Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region provided procedural guidance.

Khadzhybeyskyi District Court of Odesa found a former employee of the Northern Correctional Colony (No. 90) guilty of high treason . The man voluntarily went over to the enemy during the occupation of Kherson region.

The investigation found that the former warrant officer of the internal service got a job in an illegal penitentiary institution, which the Russian occupiers created on the basis of a captured Ukrainian colony. In order to get a position in this institution, which operated under the Russian flag, new employees had to take an oath to the Russian Federation.

During the occupation, this repressive system worked continuously: Kherson residents were imprisoned on false denunciations and forced under threat of death to build fortifications and perform other work for the aggressor's army.

After the de-occupation of Kherson, SBI law enforcement officers quickly exposed and detained the traitor. The court found him guilty under Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason) and sentenced him to a severe punishment: 15 years in prison with full confiscation of property. Procedural support of the case was provided by the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office.

Катерина Глушко