Misappropriation of fuel for the military: four officials were charged with suspicion

As part of the “Unfair procurement” program, an illegal scheme of fuel appropriation and overpayments to the Ukrainian army was revealed.

According to preliminary data from the investigation, the damage to the state exceeds 30 million hryvnias. In the Mykolaiv Oblast, officials from the defense sector organized a mechanism to remove gasoline and diesel fuel through document forgery and the creation of fictitious fuel and lubricant needs.

Four members of this group have been charged with several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Among the accused are the former heads of structural units of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the head of the service of fuel and lubricants of the military unit and the head of the gas station.

The investigation revealed that from 2022 to 2025, officials entered unreliable data into the military unit’s combat training plans, which were not actually carried out in the specified volumes. Based on these documents, fuel resources were unreasonably allocated, which were formally accounted for.

To implement the scheme, fictitious invoices and reports on the movement of property were created, resulting in fuel being sold to third parties, and the proceeds were divided among the scheme participants.

As part of the investigation, embezzlement of 133 tons of gasoline and more than 364 tons of diesel fuel was recorded, totaling about 22 million hryvnias. The officials were detained in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine, and the materials about another participant in the case were separated into a separate proceeding. A petition has been submitted requesting the adoption of preventive measures for the detainees.

Separately, in the Zhytomyr region, the head of the housing and operational part of the district was charged with improper control during the conclusion and execution of contracts for the supply of fuel oil for military units in 2024-2025.

Despite the established zero VAT rate for defense purchases, the supply was financed by including a 20% tax, resulting in an excessive transfer of 8.3 million hryvnias from the budget. A preventive measure has already been applied to the suspect.

It is important to note that in 2026, in 29 criminal proceedings under the procedural guidance of specialized prosecutors’ offices in the field of defense, 54 persons were charged with abuse or official negligence in defense procurement. The total amount of established losses is 3,431,702,000 hryvnias.