Officials of the State Special Communications Service are suspected of purchasing DJI Mavic 3 and Autel Evo Max 4T drones at prices that exceeded market prices by 70–90%, causing losses to the state of over UAH 90 million.
Officials of the State Special Communications Service are suspected of purchasing DJI Mavic 3 and Autel Evo Max 4T drones at prices that exceeded market prices by 70–90%, causing losses to the state of over UAH 90 million.
According to the NABU press service, this is a purchase made by the State Special Communications Service in May-September 2023, when 400 DJI drones and 1,300 Autel drones were purchased.
«NABU and SAPO have uncovered a large-scale scam organized by officials of the State Special Communications Service and representatives of private companies during the procurement of drones for the Defense Forces of Ukraine,» law enforcement officials reported.
According to the investigation, after the adoption of amendments to the State Budget in 2023, the State Service for Special Communications was allocated UAH 30 billion for the purchase of UAVs, and the head of one of the departments of the agency had a plan to squander part of these funds.
«It involved the supply of drones at inflated prices by predetermined companies. To win the tenders, they involved controlled firms that imitated competition, as well as distorted marketing research,» the NABU added.
According to law enforcement officials, the participants in the scheme withdrew funds to the accounts of controlled companies, including abroad.
At the same time, more than $4 million has been seized in the accounts of these companies abroad and UAH 17 million in Ukraine.
In addition, two officials of the State Special Communications Service and two representatives of private companies were reported on suspicion of embezzlement of funds in particularly large amounts.
Recall that last year, a scandal arose in connection with the purchase of drones by the State Special Communications Service: journalists estimated that officials could have overpaid UAH 600 million for Autel UAVs for the «Army of Drones» in 2023 .
Despite this, the State Service for Special Communications continued to purchase Autel drones. However, their price was significantly lower than in 2023.
Meanwhile, at the beginning of this year, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection canceled tenders for the purchase of Mavic 3E and Autel EVO Max drones four times for a total amount of about UAH 1 billion due to the lack of offers from suppliers.
