Law enforcement is investigating the misappropriation of budget funds during the procurement of UAVs worth almost UAH 7 billion. UNN reports this with reference to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
"Within the framework of criminal proceedings, law enforcement officers are investigating the possible misappropriation of budget funds during the execution of state contracts for the supply of unmanned aerial vehicles for the needs of the security and defense sector of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, in 2025, one of the Companies entered into state contracts with the State Enterprise of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine "Defense Procurement Agency" for the supply of UAVs of various types and modifications for a total amount of UAH 6.95 billion," the statement reads.
According to UNN, we are talking about the manufacturer Vyriy Industries. Searches were conducted at this company, as well as at the residence of director Oleksii Babenko, today, July 6. The pre-trial investigation is being carried out by the State Bureau of Investigation.
DBR conducts searches at drone manufacturer Vyriy Industries07.07.26, 15:46
As reported in the Office of the Prosecutor General, the investigation is checking the version about the artificial overestimation of the cost of drones. It concerns the possible unjustified increase in production costs, administrative and other expenses that influenced the final price of products purchased with budget funds.
"According to preliminary data, foreign economic and domestic contracts with non-resident enterprises, resident legal entities, and individual entrepreneurs bearing signs of fictitiousness could have been used for the documentary registration of such operations," the Office of the Prosecutor General reported.
In addition, financial transactions in favor of a number of individual entrepreneurs with signs of fictitiousness are being checked separately. During interrogations, ten such individuals stated that they did not actually carry out business activities and provided documents for registration for a monetary reward.
The Office of the Prosecutor General noted that during the searches conducted at the places of residence of some heads of individual entrepreneurs who executed multi-million contracts, it was established that their way and style of life do not indicate the presence of any wealth or income.
The total amount of such suspicious transactions, according to the investigation, is over UAH 197 million. The investigation is checking whether these funds could have been used for the subsequent withdrawal and legalization of proceeds obtained through criminal means.
"Also, during searches at places of business activity, significant amounts of cash not accounted for in the primary financial statements were found, which may indicate the use of tax evasion schemes and the transfer of non-cash funds to accounts of controlled business entities for their subsequent legalization," the Office of the Prosecutor General reported.
Currently, investigative and procedural actions are ongoing in the criminal proceedings, necessary examinations are being appointed, and financial and economic documentation is being analyzed. Based on their results, the issue of notifying the involved persons of suspicion will be decided.