Substandard field rations for Ukraine’s Armed Forces worth UAH 71 million: suppliers and ex-Defense Ministry official notified of suspicion. PHOTOS
Law enforcement officers have exposed a scheme to supply substandard field rations for Ukraine’s Armed Forces worth more than UAH 71 million. According to the investigation, entrepreneurs packed the kits with expired and unfit food products, while a former Defense Ministry official signed contracts without mandatory quality checks of the goods.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko reported this on his Telegram channel, Censor.NET informs.
How did the perpetrators operate?
They forged manufacturers’ declarations on the quality of goods, mixed quality products with expired or completely unfit food, packed everything into one kit, and sent it to the military.
"Two entrepreneurs, suppliers of daily field ration kits for Ukraine’s Armed Forces, set up this wartime profit-making scheme. The director of one LLC, together with his deputy, ensured the supply of substandard field rations to the military worth UAH 62.5 million, while the head of another company supplied another UAH 8.6 million worth," the statement said.
Quality check clause not included in contract.
They were able to carry this out, in particular, due to the actions of the former acting director of the Defense Ministry’s Department of State Procurement and Supply of Material Resources. When concluding contracts with businesses, the official "forgot" to include a clause requiring mandatory quality checks of the goods, so the substandard products reached the military without obstruction.
On the front line, this "cuisine" was not appreciated, and troops began filing complaints en masse.
Forensic commodity examinations confirmed that the food did not meet quality and safety standards.
The damage caused to the state, represented by the Defense Ministry, exceeds UAH 71 million.
All participants have been notified of suspicion. The suppliers are charged with misappropriation of funds, official forgery and placing dangerous products on the market. The former official is charged with negligence in military service that caused grave consequences under martial law.
A motion has been filed with the court to remand the company directors in custody, with the alternative of bail set at the amount of the damages caused.
The investigation is ongoing. Other possible incidents and individuals involved are being investigated.
"Profiting from the military’s food supplies during wartime is immorality of the highest order. Especially when substandard and dangerous products could directly threaten their health and combat effectiveness.
Accountability will be inevitable," emphasised Kravchenko.
