Extortion Scheme Against a Defense Contractor
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General, has disrupted the activities of a criminal group within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine (CCIU). The subjects of the case are a legal advisor and her son, who demanded a bribe of €100,000 from a manufacturer of combat unmanned aerial vehicles.
The investigation was conducted as part of the systematic work of law enforcement agencies to prevent corruption schemes in the sphere of state orders for the Defense Forces. It turned out that the official used her authority to blackmail the company, which faced force majeure circumstances.
Fire and Artificial Delay of Deadlines
According to the case materials, the incident occurred in June 2026. A fire broke out in the warehouse premises of the defense contractor, which was a consequence of an air attack. This incident threatened the timely fulfillment of the contract for the supply of drones.
To avoid penalty sanctions, the company applied to the CCIU for an expert opinion confirming the emergency situation. However, the legal advisor intentionally delayed the consideration of the application. She put forward a demand to transfer money in exchange for preparing a positive document that was supposed to legalize the impossibility of fulfilling the order on time.
Arrest in the Act
To implement the scheme, the official involved her son, who acted as an intermediary. It was he who was supposed to meet with the company's representatives and receive the unlawful benefit.
SBU specialists documented the illegal actions of the subjects in stages. The arrest of the intermediary took place "in the act" at the moment of receiving the second part of the bribe — €50,000. During searches at the places of work and residence of the suspects, material evidence of criminal activity was seized.
Criminal Case and Pre-trial Measures
Currently, the CCIU official and her accomplice have been notified of suspicion. They are charged with bribery of an official of a private legal entity (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 368-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The court has chosen detention as the preventive measure for the subjects.
The investigation is continuing with the aim of bringing to justice all persons involved in this deal. Law enforcement agencies note that this is not an isolated case of corruption in the defense industry. Earlier, the High Anti-Corruption Court had already chosen preventive measures for an official of the State Border Guard Service and the owner of a private drone manufacturing company, who were exposed for extorting $1 million for a tender. The SBU also liquidated a large-scale extortion scheme against agricultural exporters, where the monthly income of the organizers reached a similar amount.
