SBI on substandard mines case: We are not pressuring business, issue is preventing supply of defective Products to Armed Forces
Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) says it is exerting no pressure on the enterprise suspected of misappropriating nearly UAH 3 billion in budget funds allocated for the procurement of engineering munitions for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Speaking at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday, military engineer of the State Special Transport Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Mykola "Mossad" said that about a year ago he discovered critical defects in mines supplied to his unit. "The first thing that caught my attention was the poor-quality casing… On the rear side of the mine there are plugs that should be precise and properly sealed… Then there was testing of the detonation, the explosion did not occur," he said.
Vadym Pryimachok, head of a department within the Main Investigative Directorate of the SBI, said that the Bureau had launched its investigation even before receiving formal complaints from the military, in September 2024. He said that at the end of 2024, the SBI received information from the State Transport Service indicating that the military had begun identifying cases in which the mines failed to detonate.
Subsequently, as the department head clarified, it was also established that the weight of the mines did not match the declared specifications, and that there were other deficiencies as well.
Pryimachok said that during the pretrial investigation it was established that virtually all of these shortcomings were the result of manufacturing errors.
"It was documented that the LLC in question was in fact engaged solely in the production of low-quality plastic casings for these mines. The lethal elements were purchased from other suppliers, and the loading of the casings with explosives and lethal elements was also carried out at another state-owned enterprise," Pryimachok explained.
He emphasized that five individuals have been brought to criminal liability – the founder, co-founder of the company, its director, his deputy, and the chief accountant. They have been formally notified of suspicion of misappropriation of funds on a particularly large scale, legalization of property obtained by criminal means, as well as the creation of and participation in a criminal organization.
In addition, according to the department head, it was documented that this criminal activity "became possible due to the inaction of military officials who were obliged to oversee this process," four of whom have also been served with notices of suspicion.
"I would like to stress that the SBI is in no way engaged in pressuring business or obstructing the activities of any business entity… Our work is aimed at preventing the supply of substandard products to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Pryimachok assured.
He also added that the seizure of the company's assets does not in any way prevent it from continuing its business operations or fulfilling its contractual obligations.
At the same time, as the department head emphasized, management decisions made by the company's leadership effectively drove the enterprise to bankruptcy, and the mere presence of raw materials does not indicate that the company will fulfill its contractual obligations.
"Without eliminating these deficiencies, the delivery of these mines is impossible," he concluded.
On January 9, 2026, the SBI reported the suspension of a deal to supply substandard mines for defense needs worth nearly UAH 3 billion. The case concerns anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, the quality and reliability of which directly affect the lives of Ukrainian service members.
According to the SBI, members of the criminal organization created a fictitious picture of their ability to manufacture and supply munitions. To do so, they used a limited liability company that had never previously been engaged in mine production, but nevertheless gained access to contracts with Ukraine's Ministry of Defense involving multi-billion-hryvnia advance payments.
