---
title: "NABU and SAPO Send Case on Embezzlement of Over UAH 733M in AFU Food Procurement to Court"
description: "NABU and SAPO have sent to court a case on the embezzlement of over UAH 733M in AFU food procurement in 2022–2023. Suppliers and a Ministry of Defense official are under suspicion."
date: 2026-11-12T09:40:44.127Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/nabu-sap-court-embezzlement-food-procurement-afu
tags: [nabu, ukraine, corruption, military-procurement, embezzlement]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# NABU and SAPO Send Case on Embezzlement of Over UAH 733M in AFU Food Procurement to Court

![Sign of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine on a stone building](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/12/nabu-sap-peredali-v-sud-delo-o-hishchenii-na-zakupkah-produktov-dlya-vsu/nabu-sap-peredali-v-sud-delo-o-hishchenii-na-zakupkah-produktov-dlya-vsu-1.webp)

## Key Points

- NABU and SAPO sent to court a case regarding the embezzlement of over UAH 733 million during the procurement of food kits for the AFU in August–December 2022.
- The scheme was built on the averaged price of a 409-item catalog: suppliers inflated prices for popular goods and lowered them for seasonal ones, while a Ministry of Defense official ignored price anomalies.
- After the investigation began in January 2023, prices for 11 popular products were reduced, saving UAH 788 million of the budget; part of the funds may have gone to real estate in Croatia.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, together with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, has sent to court a criminal case regarding large-scale embezzlement of state funds during food procurement for the Armed Forces during the full-scale war. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement from the NABU press service. According to the investigation, the abuse scheme was implemented in 2022–2023 in the format of so-called "kits" — package deliveries of food supplies for the army, where the price was formed not based on the actual cost of popular goods, but on an averaged indicator of the entire catalog.

### How the Scheme Worked: A 409-Item Catalog and Average Price Manipulation

The investigation established that the approved catalog of food kits contained 409 items. At the same time, the most demanded positions — vegetables, cereals, meat, and water — accounted for only about 10% of the assortment, and it was these items that went to the troops in industrial volumes. The remaining catalog items, such as spices, gelatin, or berries, were ordered extremely rarely or not at all. Since the final price of the kit was calculated based on the average cost of all items, suppliers gained the opportunity to manipulate price tags: inflate prices for popular products while simultaneously lowering them for rarely used and seasonal goods — for example, cherries or apricots in the winter period. This design made it possible to formally fit into the approved catalog while actually transferring the inflated cost to the most consumed positions.

### UAH 733 Million in Super-Profits: What the Examination Confirmed

As a result of the described abuses between August and December 2022, two supplier companies, which according to the investigation were controlled by a single female owner, illegally received over UAH 733 million in super-profits. These conclusions, as stated in the case materials, are confirmed by a comprehensive commodity and economic examination, which recorded a systematic discrepancy between the actual price of popular goods and their cost within the averaged kit.

### Where the Money Went: Dividends and Real Estate in Croatia

The investigation established that part of the stolen funds was withdrawn through the payment of dividends and the provision of repayable financial assistance to related companies. The obtained money, according to law enforcement, could have been directed to the acquisition of hotels in Croatia and other real estate. The legality of these acquisitions is currently being checked by the investigation, and the assets themselves are considered in the context of the article on the legalization of proceeds obtained through criminal means.

### Role of the Ministry of Defense Official

According to NABU, an official of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was involved in organizing the crime. According to the case materials, when signing supply contracts, the official knowingly ignored obvious price anomalies in the kit catalogs, which allowed the scheme to function for several months. It is this person who appears in the case as an accomplice who provided administrative support for the inflated procurement.

### Investigation and UAH 788 Million Saved

The pre-trial investigation was launched in January 2023. Against the backdrop of high-profile media scandals — in particular, publications about the procurement of eggs at UAH 17 per piece — the participants in the scheme reduced prices for the 11 most popular products. According to the investigation's estimate, this made it possible to save UAH 788 million from the state budget, which otherwise would have been stolen at previously operating inflated prices.

### Who Was Notified of Suspicion and Under Which Articles

Following NABU's exposure of the facts of embezzlement in food procurement for the AFU, suspicion was reported to the former head of the Ministry of Defense department, the owner of related supplier companies, two heads of supplier companies, and one individual. The actions of the defendants are classified under Part 5 of Article 191 (embezzlement), Part 2 of Article 15 combined with Part 5 of Article 191 (attempted embezzlement), and Part 3 of Article 209 (legalization of proceeds obtained by criminal means) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Sending the case to court concludes the pre-trial investigation stage and opens the path to trial proceedings.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Хищения на продуктах для ВСУ: громкое дело о яйцах по 17 грн направили в суд](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rozkradannya-harchah-zsu-guchnu-spravu-ytsya-1794475821.html) - Primary source: statement by the NABU press service on sending the case to court. Confirmed: the kit scheme (409-item catalog), the amount of UAH 733M in super-profits for Aug–Dec 2022, the role of the Ministry of Defense official, saving UAH 788M after lowering prices on 11 products, the list of defendants, and qualification under Articles 191 and 209 of the Criminal Code. Mention of real estate in Croatia is presented as an investigative version.

## FAQ

### What amount of embezzlement was established by the investigation?

According to the conclusions of a comprehensive commodity and economic examination, two related supplier companies illegally received over UAH 733 million in super-profits between August and December 2022.

### What did the price manipulation scheme consist of?

The price of the food kit was formed based on the average cost of all 409 items in the catalog. Suppliers inflated prices for popular goods (vegetables, cereals, meat, water) and lowered them for rarely ordered and seasonal ones, thereby shifting the inflated cost to the most consumed positions.

### Was it possible to prevent further budget losses?

Yes. After the start of the pre-trial investigation in January 2023, the participants in the scheme reduced prices for the 11 most popular products, which, according to the investigation's estimate, saved UAH 788 million from the budget.

### Under which articles of the Criminal Code are the defendants' actions qualified?

Part 5 of Article 191 (embezzlement), Part 2 of Article 15 combined with Part 5 of Article 191 (attempted embezzlement), and Part 3 of Article 209 (legalization of proceeds obtained through criminal means) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.