The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General are investigating the procurement of grenade launchers for the Armed Forces of Ukraine worth over 637 million hryvnias
The Security Service of Ukraine, under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor General, has uncovered the procurement of single-use anti-tank grenade launchers for the Defence Forces, which, according to the investigation, were purchased at an inflated price and did not meet the stated specifications.
This concerns a contract between the state-owned enterprise ‘Defence Procurement Agency’ and a private company for the supply of 6,000 single-use RPG-75M anti-tank grenade launchers. The total value of the contract was 637 million hryvnias. According to the documentation, the supplier was to deliver new weapons manufactured between 2024 and 2026.
According to the investigation, even before the contract was signed, the Logistics Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had warned the state procurement officer that this type of grenade launcher was ineffective and had suggested considering other models. Despite this, the contract was signed, and the supplier received an advance payment of 318.5 million hryvnias.
In May 2026, the first batch of 3,024 grenade launchers arrived at the arsenal of one of the military units under the Logistics Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Due to prior information regarding the possible substandard quality of the products, the military unit did not accept the weapons and left them in temporary storage.
During the subsequent investigation, it was established that, according to the investigators, the military unit had been supplied not with new grenade launchers, but with items manufactured in the 1980s. During an inspection, law enforcement officers discovered signs of re-labelling. Beneath the new labels were old markings in Czech, and significant signs of oxidation were observed on certain components. After the new labels were removed, it was established that the components had been manufactured between 1986 and 1988.
According to the criminal case file, those involved in the scheme attempted to conceal the actual year of manufacture, the technical condition and the origin of the goods. To this end, according to the investigation, they used forged documents and altered the markings on the products, in particular the batch number and year of manufacture.
The investigation is also examining a possible collusion between officials at the state-owned enterprise ‘Defence Procurement Agency’ and the supplier company, without which, according to law enforcement, this procurement could not have been carried out.
According to the investigation, the losses to the state amount to 318.5 million hryvnias, which corresponds to the sum of the advance payment for the weapons that were not actually accepted.
Law enforcement officials also reported that this same foreign supplier had already attempted to supply Ukraine with such grenade launchers in 2022 and 2023. According to the investigation, the contract was terminated at that time due to an attempt to supply old weapons disguised as new ones, and their cost was nine times lower than under the current contract.
The criminal proceedings are being investigated under Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine concerning the obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during a state of emergency.
As part of the investigation, 13 searches have been carried out at the offices of the state-owned enterprise ‘Defence Procurement Agency’, the supplier’s company, and at the homes of individuals being investigated for their involvement in the case. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Investigation Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine, with operational support provided by the SBU’s Military Counter-Intelligence Department.
The SBU noted that no physical force was used against those involved during the investigative operations, and no complaints regarding the searches were received.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the procedure established by law and confirmed by a court conviction.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
