---
title: "SBI Blocks Sale of BRDM-2 and 300 kg of Explosives for $8,000: Former Armed Forces Lieutenant Colonel Detained"
description: "The SBI thwarted the sale of a BRDM-2 and about 300 kg of explosives for $8,000: a former AFU lieutenant colonel and an accomplice were detained. They are incriminated with the theft of military property."
date: 2026-10-30T13:43:22.972Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sbi-blocks-sale-of-brdm-2-and-explosives
tags: [ukraine, gbr, brdm-2, military-property, corruption, dnipro]
author: "Roman V."
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# SBI Blocks Sale of BRDM-2 and 300 kg of Explosives for $8,000: Former Armed Forces Lieutenant Colonel Detained

![Detained military armored vehicle BRDM-2 in camouflage paint on a specialized flatbed trailer](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/30/gbr-zablokirovalo-prodazhu-brdm-2-i-vzryvchatki/gbr-zablokirovalo-prodazhu-brdm-2-i-vzryvchatki-1.webp)

## Key Points

- The SBI detained a former deputy brigade commander of the AFU (lieutenant colonel) and his accomplice for attempting to sell a BRDM-2 and explosives.
- The deal was planned for $8,000; the factory number on the equipment was destroyed before the sale.
- The explosives amounted to about 300 kg in TNT equivalent.
- The charge falls under Part 4 of Article 410 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (theft of military property by a group by conspiracy under martial law), carrying a sentence of up to 15 years.

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has reported thwarting an illegal attempt to sell a BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicle along with a large batch of explosives. According to the investigation, the suspect is a former deputy brigade commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine holding the rank of lieutenant colonel, who, law enforcement believes, illegally seized the armored vehicle, hid it on the territory of one of the military units, and prepared it for sale. The deal was supposed to be closed for 8,000 US dollars, but the suspects were caught red-handed at the stage of transferring the equipment to the buyer.

### Scheme of Theft and Concealment of Equipment

According to the case files, the lieutenant colonel did not limit himself to merely seizing the armored vehicle: he also included explosives with a total power of about 300 kilograms in TNT equivalent in the sales plan. To make it difficult to identify the military property and conceal its true origin, the factory number on the BRDM-2 hull was destroyed prior to the sale. The officer did not handle the direct transfer of the equipment to the buyer himself, delegating this operation to his accomplice, which, according to the investigation, was intended to create an additional distance between the organizer of the deal and the moment the property was handed over.

### Night Transfer and Detention in Dnipropetrovsk Region

SBI operatives tracked the preparations for the transfer: at night, the accomplice removed the BRDM-2 from its hiding place and drove it to a forest belt in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where a special flatbed trailer had already been prepared to haul the equipment away. At the moment the intermediary received the stipulated 8,000 dollars, bureau officers detained him at the scene, seized the armored vehicle and explosives, and subsequently detained the former deputy brigade commander as well. Thus, both key figures of the scheme were stopped before the equipment actually reached the buyer's hands.

### Charges and Potential Penalties

Both suspects have been served notice of suspicion for the theft of military property committed by a prior conspiracy of a group of persons under martial law — under Part 4 of Article 410 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The sanction of this article provides for imprisonment for a term of up to 15 years. At the time of publication, law enforcement officials were deciding on preventive measures in the form of custody for the suspects, and a final decision on this matter had not been announced by the time of publication.

### Context: Other SBI Detentions on the Same Day

The detention of the lieutenant colonel and the intermediary took place against the backdrop of a series of other bureau operations. On the same day, as the SBI recalls, agency employees detained the head of a department at the Chernivtsi Territorial Recruitment Center and four of his subordinates, who are incriminated with kidnapping civilians, torture, and bribery. The combination of these episodes demonstrates the bureau's focus on curbing abuses both in the sphere of military property turnover and within the conscription and recruitment system under the current martial law.

### What is Known About the BRDM-2 and Military Property Turnover

The BRDM-2 is a four-wheel-drive armored combat vehicle designed for reconnaissance, patrol, and unit command; in photographs published in connection with the case, the equipment is shown in camouflage paint and secured to a specialized trailer. The very fact of attempting to sell such a unit along with a significant amount of explosives for a relatively small amount — 8,000 dollars — indicates, according to the investigation's logic, an attempt to quickly and anonymously remove military property from state control. The destruction of the factory number before the sale, according to the SBI, was a key element of camouflage aimed at making it difficult to establish the affiliation of the equipment to a specific unit and the chain of its illegal seizure.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Продавал бронемашину БРДМ-2 и взрывчатку: ГБР задержало бывшего подполковника ВСУ](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/prodavav-bronemashinu-brdm-2-ta-vibuhivku-1793366549.html) - Primary source: SBI statement on the detention of the lieutenant colonel and intermediary, details of the scheme, amount of $8k, explosive volume ~300 kg TNT equivalent, Article 410 Part 4 CC, context of detention at Chernivtsi TRC.

## FAQ

### Who did the SBI detain in the BRDM-2 sale case?

A former deputy brigade commander of the AFU holding the rank of lieutenant colonel and his accomplice-intermediary, who was instructed to hand over the equipment to the buyer.

### What amount was the sale planned for?

The deal was agreed upon for the amount of 8,000 US dollars.

### What other items were seized along with the armored vehicle?

Explosives with a total power of about 300 kilograms in TNT equivalent.

### Under what article was the case opened and what is the maximum sentence?

Under Part 4 of Article 410 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (theft of military property by a group of persons by prior conspiracy under martial law); the sanction provides for up to 15 years in prison.