---
title: "«General Chereshnya» Prepares NABU Complaint Over Fiber-Optic Drone Tender: Industry Flags Corruption Risks in Defense Procurement"
description: "«General Chereshnya» is preparing a NABU complaint over the ADP's opaque tender for fiber-optic drones. Industry sources point to corruption risks: the procurement of 52 lots was conducted outside Prozorro, and part of the technical specifications were detailed to fit specific manufacturers."
date: 2026-09-01T08:50:06.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/general-chereshnya-nabu-fiber-optic-drone-tender
tags: [ukraine, defense-procurement, drones, fiber-optic, nabu, corruption, prozorro, uav]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# «General Chereshnya» Prepares NABU Complaint Over Fiber-Optic Drone Tender: Industry Flags Corruption Risks in Defense Procurement

![Military quadcopter drone with suspended payload module in flight — illustration of the fiber-optic drone tender and NABU complaint](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/01/general-chereshnya-nabu-tender-drony-optovolokno/general-chereshnya-nabu-tender-drony-optovolokno-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- «General Chereshnya» is preparing a NABU complaint to investigate the actions of the ADP and the Ministry of Defense in conducting the fiber-optic drone tender
- The procurement of 52 lots of strike and strike-reconnaissance UAVs was conducted August 20–26 outside Prozorro — by email to a limited circle of enterprises
- Industry sources point to signs that the technical specifications were shaped for specific manufacturers and the absence of qualification criteria
- Head of the anti-corruption council at the Ministry of Defense, Hudymentko, states there is no direct evidence of a «rigged» tender, but acknowledges the instability of the process

Ukrainian unmanned systems manufacturer «General Chereshnya» has announced it is preparing a report on a criminal offense to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in connection with a tender conducted by the Agency of Defense Procurement (ADP) for drones equipped with a fiber-optic communication channel. The company believes the procurement was organized illegally and opaquely, with its terms «tailored to specific manufacturers.» At the same time, anonymous sources in the defense sector, speaking on RBC-Ukraine, point to systemic corruption risks in the way the ADP carried out the competitive procurement of strike and strike-reconnaissance drones with a fiber-optic communication module.

### NABU Complaint: What «General Chereshnya» Is Demanding

According to the company, its submission to NABU requests the registration of a criminal case and an investigation into the actions of officials of the State Enterprise ADP and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for signs of criminal offenses at the stages of announcing and conducting the tenders. «General Chereshnya» claims that a transparent procurement mechanism is absent and that the tender terms are formulated in such a way as to effectively exclude competitors. The manufacturer is demanding that the procurement be suspended or canceled until it is brought into compliance with the law, and that the procedure be moved to the open electronic platform Prozorro.

### Procurement Outside Prozorro: How the Tender Was Conducted

An RBC-Ukraine source in the defense sector revealed details of the procedure: on August 20, the ADP sent a letter inviting manufacturers to submit commercial proposals for 52 lots of equipment, setting a submission deadline of August 26. The procurement was conducted outside the electronic system Prozorro — by emailing documentation to a limited circle of enterprises, without public announcement of the tender and without an electronic auction. The source emphasizes that this method is not provided for in the exhaustive list of defense procurement methods established by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1275, and it deprives participants of the right to challenge the terms and request clarifications, which is guaranteed by the Law «On Public Procurement.»

### Signs of a «Rigged» Tender: Industry Assessment

An anonymous source points to a number of signs that, in his view, indicate the procurement terms were shaped for a specific manufacturer. In particular, some key technical specifications — maximum and operating flight altitude, cruise speed, takeoff weight — are not defined at all in the documentation, while other parameters are specified so narrowly that only a limited number of enterprises' products could meet them. The qualification criteria for tender participants, the source says, are not established. The industry also notes the absence of tenders for critically important items: ground robotic systems, FPV drones of various types, deep-strike weapons, and ammunition of all types and calibers for UAVs. «You can procure many drones, but without the ammunition to equip them with, it remains a waste of resources,» the source concludes.

### Contradictory Data

The parties' positions on the substance of the accusations diverge significantly. «General Chereshnya» and anonymous industry sources claim that the tender terms were shaped for specific manufacturers and that a corrupt element is traceable in them. Yuri Hudymentko, head of the Public Anti-Corruption Council at the Ministry of Defense, told RBC-Ukraine that there is currently no direct evidence that any tenders were written for specific participants. At the same time, he acknowledges signs of instability in the procurement process itself. Thus, the fact that a NABU complaint is being prepared is confirmed by several sources, however, the qualification of the ADP's actions as corrupt remains a matter of dispute: for one side it is a «rigged» tender, for the other — a lack of direct evidence of intent.

### Structural Problems and Positive Elements

Despite the criticism, the RBC-Ukraine source highlights one positive element of the procedure: the limitation of a single supplier's share to no more than 50% of a lot, intended to broaden the circle of participants. At the same time, the source notes that this limitation theoretically allows two large manufacturers to agree between themselves and effectively divide the market. The deeper problem, in the industry's assessment, is that all functions are concentrated in a single ministry — the formulation of tactical and technical specifications, requirements for production and manufacturers, procurement, grants, selection of promising technologies, and quality control. «This creates a classic situation: I buy from myself and I control myself,» the source formulates. At the same time, the transition to tender procedures, which is an EU requirement for receiving financing, is not in itself considered a problem: such procedures were applied in Ukraine before as well. The risk, in the source's view, is linked to the fact that a full transition to tenders will accelerate the formation of so-called «primes» — large reliable suppliers capable of guaranteeing price, quality, volumes, and quickly recovering after production losses. This, he says, is a logical global practice in which each market segment retains competition among five to six leading manufacturers. The main condition is that this competition remains a competition of quality, not a price cartel.

### Context and Prospects

The scandal over the fiber-optic drone tender is unfolding against the backdrop of an ongoing debate on the reform of defense procurement in Ukraine. The industry emphasizes that the tenders remain closed: it is unknown who becomes the winner, what sums are stated in the contracts, and what the average procurement price is. In conditions where transparency is a key condition of trust on the part of both domestic manufacturers and international donors, the preparation of a NABU complaint by an active manufacturer could become a precedent for reviewing the methodology of conducting defense procurement. The results of the NABU investigation and the ADP's position on the substance of «General Chereshnya's» claims will be decisive for the further dynamics in the industry.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Manufacturers Report Violations During Drone Tenders: Why They Are Demanding the Procurement Be Canceled](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/virobniki-zayavlyayut-porushennya-pid-chas-1788252373.html) - Основной источник: детали тендера (52 лота, 20–26 августа, вне Prozorro), цитаты отраслевых источников, позиция Гудыменко
- [Serhiy Sterenyuk and «General Chereshnya»: A Scandal Over Drones](https://fraza.com/news/377821-sergej-sternenko-i-%C2%ABgeneral-chereshnja%C2%BB-skandal-iz-za-dronov) - Подтверждает факт подготовки заявления в НАБУ и контекст конфликта вокруг АОЗ
- [«General Chereshnya» Accused the Agency of Defense Procurement of Opaque Conduct of Tenders for ...](https://ukrrudprom.com/news/General_CHereshnya_obvinil_Agentstvo_oboronnih_zakupok_v_neprozrachnom_provedenii_tenderov_na_optovolokonnie_droni.html) - Подтверждает позицию компании и требование перенести закупку на Prozorro
- [«General Chereshnya» Demands Suspension of FPV Drone Procurement; Former Minister's Advisor and Deputy ...](https://ru.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1197515.html) - Подтверждает требование приостановки закупки; в заголовке используется термин FPV-дроны, что может указывать на более широкий охват лотов, чем только оптоволоконные

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly is «General Chereshnya» demanding from NABU?
**A:** The company is preparing a complaint requesting the registration of a criminal case and an investigation into the actions of ADP and Ministry of Defense officials for signs of criminal offenses in announcing and conducting the tender for drones with a fiber-optic communication channel. The manufacturer is also demanding that the procurement be suspended and moved to the Prozorro platform.

### Q: Why is the fiber-optic drone tender considered to have been conducted in violation of the rules?
**A:** According to industry sources, the procurement of 52 lots was conducted outside the electronic system Prozorro — by email to a limited circle of enterprises, without a public announcement and without an electronic auction. This method is not provided for by Cabinet Resolution No. 1275. In addition, part of the technical specifications is not defined, while part is specified narrowly, which, in the critics' view, indicates that the terms were shaped for specific manufacturers.

### Q: Is there direct evidence of corruption in this tender?
**A:** Yuri Hudymentko, head of the Public Anti-Corruption Council at the Ministry of Defense, stated that there is currently no direct evidence that the tenders were written for specific participants. However, he acknowledges signs of instability in the process itself. The accusations of a «rigged» tender are, at this point, the position of the company and anonymous industry sources.

### Q: What systemic problems in defense procurement are highlighted in the industry?
**A:** Among the key problems: the concentration in a single ministry of the functions of formulating technical specifications, procurement, grants, and quality control; the closed nature of the tenders (winners and sums are unknown); the absence of procurement for critically important items — ammunition, FPV drones, ground robotic systems. At the same time, the industry notes a positive element — the limitation of a single supplier's share to 50% of a lot.