Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have uncovered a scheme in which drones were stolen from military units, reworked and sold back to the army as new. 16 people are suspected in the case, 25 episodes have been identified, and more than 600 drones have been seized, Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky announced.
„They stole drones from servicemen, changed their markings, and then sold them back to the army as new. This is how the investigation worked,“ Kovalsky said.
According to him, the alleged organizer is a former serviceman. The scheme involved servicemen, civilian intermediaries and commercial companies. They were looking for servicemen who were willing to hand over drones from military units for a fee. A separate channel was created for this purpose in “Telegram“.
Workshop in Dnipropetrovsk region
According to the head of the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, the received equipment was collected in a workshop in Dnipropetrovsk region. There, the serial numbers were erased, the markings and QR codes were changed. Then, through controlled companies, the same drones were delivered to military units as new.
To establish the scale of the scheme, more than 100 searches were carried out in nine regions and Kiev. Of the more than 600 drones seized, more than 200 have already been identified as property of military units. The origin of the remaining equipment is still being investigated.
Money, valuables and cars seized
According to law enforcement agencies, the value of the stolen military property is about 16 million Ukrainian hryvnias. Another 13 million hryvnias, $400,000, gold, silver, valuables and 15 cars were found during the searches.
The court has ordered all 16 suspects to be held in custody with the possibility of release on bail. This is a measure within the framework of the investigation and does not constitute a final determination of guilt.
The case is being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation, the internal security divisions of the State Border Service and the National Police, as well as the military counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine. The next stage is to establish the origin of the seized equipment and all participants in the scheme.
Sources: ukrinform.ua