The investigation has widened beyond the original suppliers, while frozen assets and newly uncovered contracts point to a much larger alleged scheme.
The NABU and SAPO have uncovered new circumstances in the case concerning possible abuses during the procurement of drones for the Defense Forces of Ukraine in 2023. The case involves procurements carried out with the participation of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection.
According to the investigation, the amount of damage to the state budget has increased from UAH 90 million to UAH 254 million.
A New Suspect Appears in the Case
After analyzing additional evidence, the NABU and SAPO updated the suspicions against four individuals previously exposed. In addition, another participant in the scheme – the de facto controller of private companies – has been served with a notice of suspicion.
The suspects’ actions were classified under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: misappropriation of property through abuse of office on an especially large scale.
Which Drones Were Procured
In October 2025, the NABU and SAPO exposed a scheme in which UAH 90 million may have been misappropriated during the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles. Initially, the case concerned the supply of DJI Mavic 3 and Autel Evo Max 4T drones.
During the subsequent pretrial investigation, detectives established that two more companies linked to the previously identified supplier may have been involved in the scheme.
In September 2023, officials of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection concluded additional contracts with these companies to supply the following models:
DJI Mavic 3T – 500 units;
DJI Mavic 3Pro – 2,000 units;
DJI Matrice M30T – 900 units.
Procurements at Inflated Prices
According to the investigation, the prices of the drones specified in the contracts were 60–90% higher than market prices. The winners of the tenders may have been selected in advance, while other companies controlled by the scheme’s organizers were brought in to simulate competition.
One piece of evidence indicating possible coordination of the procurement is correspondence between officials of the agency. They sent a request for a commercial offer to the future winner, naming a legal entity that was officially registered only several days after the letter was sent.
According to law enforcement authorities, the scheme’s participants transferred the funds they received to accounts belonging to companies under their control, including accounts outside Ukraine.
Freezing of Funds and Further Investigation
As part of the proceedings, the NABU and SAPO secured the freezing of assets that may be linked to the illegal scheme:
more than USD 4 million in companies’ accounts abroad;
UAH 17 million in accounts in Ukraine.
The pretrial investigation is ongoing. NABU detectives and SAPO prosecutors are establishing the full circle of individuals who may have been involved in the misappropriation of funds during the procurement of drones for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.