Ukraine charges six people, including lawmaker, in drone procurement scheme

Audio By Carbonatix

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine said on Monday it had charged six people including a lawmaker and a government official for embezzling funds in the purchase of drones and jamming equipment for the military.

Kyiv relies on a steady supply of drones and electronic warfare systems to fight Moscow’s invasion. It is also waging a crackdown on graft critical to its future in the European Union.

Anti-corruption authorities said on Saturday they had uncovered a scheme offering kickbacks for purchases at inflated prices. It involved the legislator, one current and one now-sacked official, a National Guard commander and two businessmen.

“In 2024–2025, an organised criminal group systematically misappropriated funds allocated by local authorities for defence needs,” the National Anti-Corruption Bureau said in a statement. It said the bribes totalled around 30% of the contracts’ value.

The drone contract was worth $240,000 with an inflation of about $80,000, the bureau said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who sparked a public furore last month for briefly scrapping the independence of two anti-corruption agencies, praised the move on Saturday after meeting with the agency heads.

In addition to the lawmaker, those charged on Monday include a former governor and regional administration chief, the head of a city military administration, the commander of a National Guard Unit, and the director and the owner of a drone manufacturer.

The lawmaker was ordered into custody for two months on Monday, pending bail of the equivalent of around $190,000, Ukraine’s anti-corruption court said.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court later identified one of those charged as Serhiy Haidai, former head of the military administration in northeastern Luhansk region, now held by Russian forces, and later head of the regional administration in a city in western Ukraine.

The court said Haidai was ordered held in custody for 60 days and offered the possibility of posting bail equivalent to $240,000.

The others charged were not identified. The equipment was locally manufactured.

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Ron Popeski and Leslie Adler)