Instead of front line – for sale: border guards caught soldier trading in drones. VIDEO+PHOTOS

A joint operation by personnel from the Eastern Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the State Bureau of Investigation (located in Kramatorsk) has led to the uncovering of a large-scale scheme involving the theft of military property. Under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for Defence Matters, law enforcement officers detained a serving military officer who was profiting from the sale of drones.

According to the investigation, the suspect, who served in one of the military units, organised the illegal sale of unmanned aerial vehicles and their components, reports Censor.NET.

Drones never reached the units: the fraud scheme

The perpetrator set up a cynical scheme to write off scarce equipment:

Military equipment and drones, which were procured and intended directly for combat units on the front line, were documented as having allegedly been lost during combat operations.
UAVs written off in this way were effectively stolen from the unit and sold ‘on the side’.

As part of the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement officers documented the sale of 16 multi-rotor drones (FPV), 16 rechargeable batteries and 17 special antennas for FPV drones. The suspect valued his goods at 105,000 hryvnias.

Special forces detained the suspect directly during the handover of money for the sold equipment.

Investigating authorities have now informed the detainee that he is suspected of committing an offence under Part 4 of Article 410 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Theft or misappropriation by a military serviceman of weapons, ammunition, equipment or other military property, committed under martial law).

The penalty under this article provides for a very severe punishment. If found guilty in court, the military fraudster faces between 10 and 15 years’ imprisonment.

The State Border Guard Service emphasised that, together with other law enforcement agencies, it is continuing systematic work to identify and neutralise any internal threats that undermine the state’s defence capability in wartime.