The criminal trial in Kyiv has caused widespread resonance, as it concerns the scale of corruption schemes and the dangerous damage to the country’s defense capabilities
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv has decided to remand two high-ranking officials in custody, suspected of involvement in a large-scale scheme that could have endangered the lives of Ukrainian military personnel. The defendants are the former head of one of the Defense Ministry’s military representative offices, Mykhailo Shkurenko, and the head of the control group, Yuriy Yareska. They were detained as part of an investigation conducted by officers of the Security Service of Ukraine. According to the Center for Countering Corruption, Judge Volodymyr Bugil approved the investigators’ motion and ordered preventative measures in the form of detention without the possibility of bail. This decision was made as part of an investigation aimed at establishing the objective circumstances of the supply of dangerous mines to the Ukrainian army. According to the investigation, in 2024, a contract worth over 11 billion hryvnias was signed at one of the large defense plants in Dnipropetrovsk region with the State Defense Procurement Agency. The main subject of the contract was the production of 120mm mortar shells for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, from the initial stages of production, a scandalous fact became known: explosive charges used mixtures of gunpowder that did not meet standards and were unsuitable for 120mm mortars. This created a risk of unstable operation of the ammunition, which could have led to uncontrolled explosions during use. Moreover, experts identified serious defects in the igniter capsules, further increasing the high level of danger. Such flaws could result in misfires or significant accidents during the deployment of mines. Despite the known issues, the production of these mines was not halted, raising questions about the level of oversight and responsibility of the enterprise’s leadership. Prosecutors emphasize that the criminal scheme was deliberately created: officials managing the defense plant knowingly shipped over 120,000 potentially dangerous mines to the frontlines, disregarding the personal safety of military personnel to obtain multimillion-dollar profits. As a result of these actions, it became necessary to recall a large volume of ammunition due to their low quality and danger, which seriously harmed the country’s defense capability. Several high-ranking officials are involved in the case: besides the detained individuals, the court is currently considering preventive measures for the plant’s general director, Leonid Shiman, and his first deputy, Oleksiy Kyrychенко. They are suspected of aiding a corruption scheme and supplying dangerous products to the military for large sums of money. Why has this story caused such a resonance? It all began on April 29, when law enforcement detained the management of the defense enterprise responsible for providing the Ukrainian army with high-risk mortar ammunition. Since then, numerous questions have arisen regarding the level of oversight over the defense sector and the trustworthiness of products that passed state and technical control but turned out to be potentially lethal for users. This case has become a vivid example of a corruption system that could undermine the national defense potential and endanger soldiers’ lives. At the same time, it underscores the need for strict control over the defense sector and the fight against corruption, which can destroy any efforts to protect the country. After all, combating unscrupulous manufacturers and officials is not only an economic issue but also a matter of national security and Ukraine’s future.