PHU Lechmar: UAH 23 bln contract fully executed, all goods delivered to AFU
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), acting on the basis of delegated powers, has fully fulfilled its obligations under contracts for the purchase of ammunition worth UAH 23 billion from the Polish supplier PHU Lechmar. The rounds were delivered in full and transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) at one of the lowest prices, SBGS spokesperson Andriy Demchenko has said.
"The State Border Guard Service, as a component of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, does everything appropriate and possible to protect the country. This also applies to the issue of purchasing weapons and ammunition. I can confirm that the supply of ammunition under contracts worth UAH 23 billion, which at the end of 2024 caused fierce, unfounded criticism, has been completed in full volume. All goods have been delivered fully and transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Demchenko said in a comment to the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday.
The spokesperson recalled that this was a delegation of powers to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine to carry out defense procurement for the needs of the military. At the same time, the determination of the nomenclature and quantity of goods was agreed upon and determined by the Ministry of Defense.
"The supply was performed by the Polish company PHU Lechmar, which was slung with mud all this time. Many assumed that the ammunition would not be delivered, claimed that the funds were simply drained, and the like. Instead, we have the opposite – the ammunition has been purchased, delivered, and transferred to the Armed Forces for use at the front. I will also note that the cost of the ammunition at which the purchase took place is one of the lowest. Allegations of inflated prices do not correspond to reality," Demchenko said.
He pointed out that pricing and delivery conditions were under the constant control of the relevant supervisory services of Ukraine.
"Let me remind you, the border agency has a certificate of a second-level fund manager for the purchase of weapons and military equipment and has proven itself to be a reliable counterparty for foreign partners. Even before the implementation of deliveries for UAH 23 billion, the SBGS carried out relevant procurements to supply its units, as it does not receive supplies from other directions, and executed two decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the delegation of powers for procurement for the needs of the Defense Forces. Therefore, the experience was accumulated, which refutes the assertions about the lack of rights for such procurements and the lack of experience to master the volumes of financing," the spokesperson emphasized.
As Demchenko noted, currently the agency continues the execution of contracts, both for the needs of its own units and at the final stage of executing contracts within the framework of other delegations of powers for defense procurement for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Earlier, PHU Lechmar spokesperson Karolina Szydyla said in an interview with the Wprost publication that the contract between the Polish company PHU Lechmar and the SBGS for the supply of ammunition worth UAH 23 billion was closed, in full volume and on time. She emphasized that at the same time, the implementation of the contract with the SBGS was accompanied by active disinformation from the Russian special services.
Former Deputy Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk, during a meeting of the parliamentary temporary investigative commission on Monday, June 8, explained the decision to delegate procurement powers to the SBGS by the inability of the Defense Procurement Agency to purchase the necessary assets.
"This was already the third such delegation of powers for the purchase of assets – these were ammunition and artillery systems. The first was in April 2024. Then there was December 2024 and February 2025. This was due to the fact that the ratio of ammunition use by Russia and Ukraine differed by several times. And the ability of the agency at that moment to provide (based on available commercial proposals) – they could not provide. Specifically under the nomenclature of those rounds that the SBGS proposed. Because of that, the decision was made, since there was a big problem with the supply of artillery rounds. The SBGS said that they had the opportunity to provide long-range rounds in a specified period of time, for which the corresponding funds were needed," Havryliuk said.
Answering the question of whether all contracts were implemented, Havryliuk said: "Yes, I think that all were implemented." Accordingly, the necessary rounds arrived.