---
title: "SBU Exposes 80-Million-Hryvnia Scheme: How 'Pharmaceutical' Intermediaries Plundered Medical Institutions and the Armed Forces"
description: "The SBU exposed an organized group that resold medicines to budget medical institutions and the Armed Forces at inflated prices, causing the state damage of over 80 million hryvnias. Four suspects were detained across three regions."
date: 2026-08-26T17:46:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sbu-drug-scheme-defence-forces-80-million-hryvnias
tags: [sbu, ukraine, corruption, defense-forces, medicines, fraud, zelensky]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# SBU Exposes 80-Million-Hryvnia Scheme: How 'Pharmaceutical' Intermediaries Plundered Medical Institutions and the Armed Forces

![SBU operative in tactical gear with an SBU patch on the vest against a backdrop of service vehicles — operation exposing an 80 million hryvnia fraud scheme](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/27/sbu-shema-medicamenty-sily-oborony-80-mln-griven/sbu-shema-medicamenty-sily-oborony-80-mln-griven-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The SBU exposed a scheme of reselling medicines to budget medical institutions and the Armed Forces, causing damage of over 80 million hryvnias
- Four intermediaries were detained in Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions; they face charges under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code (up to 12 years)
- The scheme involved exceeding the 10% markup and creating an artificial tax credit to cash out the funds
- Documentation confirming the supply chains was seized during 16 searches

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has exposed a large-scale corruption scheme involving the supply of medicines to budget-funded medical institutions and the Armed Forces. According to the security service, an organized group of commercial intermediaries systematically inflated the prices of pharmaceuticals, causing damage to the state budget exceeding 80 million hryvnias. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing an official SBU statement.

### The Scheme's Mechanism: From Procurement to 'Markup'

According to the investigation, the perpetrators set up a resale chain: they bought drugs directly from manufacturers and importers, then resold them to state and budget-funded medical institutions, as well as to structures of the Armed Forces. The key element of the scheme was a substantial excess of the state-permitted maximum 10 percent markup on the cost of medicines. As a result, the difference between the actual purchase price and the price at which the drugs were supplied to budget institutions ended up in the intermediaries' pockets.

### Tax Credit as a Tool for Cashing Out

In addition to the direct resale of overpriced medicines, the participants used enterprises under their control to create an artificial tax credit. This mechanism allowed them not only to legitimize the illegally obtained funds but also to cash them out subsequently. In essence, each 'marked-up' medicine supply generated a fictitious tax offset, which was then converted into cash.

### Detentions and Searches: Three Regions, 16 Addresses

As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers carried out 16 searches at the residences of the suspects and in their offices. As a result, four representatives of commercial structures operating in Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions were detained. During the searches, documentation confirming the supply chains and the formation of a fictitious tax credit was seized. The four detained individuals have already been notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — embezzlement or misappropriation of property on an especially large scale committed by an organized group. The court is now selecting a preventive measure in the form of detention. The maximum penalty under this article is up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

### Broader Context: Fighting 'Draft-Dodger' Corruption and the SBU's Transformation

The exposure of the 'pharmaceutical' scheme became part of a broader anti-corruption campaign that the SBU is conducting against the backdrop of the ongoing war. Recently, the security service, together with the National Police, detained a former People's Deputy who had organized a corruption scheme for so-called 'draft dodgers': for $10,000, the suspect helped those subject to military service obtain a fictitious disability status, leveraging his own connections in medical institutions. Thus, both schemes — the one with medicines and the one with fake disability — touch the same vulnerable point: the medical system serving both civilians and the army.

### The President's Position: 'Cleansing' and Focus on the Front

Against the backdrop of these exposures, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously announced new SBU operations against Russia and emphasized the need to 'cleanse' the agency's internal structure. According to the head of state, the security service should focus on clear tasks to weaken the enemy, rather than getting distracted by internal intrigues. The exposure of an 80-million-hryvnia scheme in a field critical to maintaining the combat readiness of the Armed Forces can be seen as one of the practical steps in this direction.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [SBU Exposes 80-Million-Hryvnia Drug Scheme for the Armed Forces](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/sbu-vikrila-shemu-likah-sil-oboroni-80-milyoniv-1787765401.html) - Основной источник: пересказ заявления СБУ, сумма ущерба 80+ млн грн, 4 задержанных, 16 обысков, ч. 5 ст. 191 УК
- [SBU Unveils Large-Scale Scheme of Selling Medicines for the Armed Forces: State Damage Stood at ...](https://zn.ua/anticorruption/sbu-raskryla-masshtabnuju-skhemu-prodazhi-lekarstv-dlja-sil-oborony-ushcherb-hosudarstvu-sostavil-bolee-80-mln-hrn.html) - Независимое подтверждение факта разоблачения и суммы ущерба свыше 80 млн гривен
- [Oil Refineries, a Port, and Military Facilities: SBU and Armed Forces Strike Targets in Russia](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/life/_npz-port-i-voennye-ob-ekty-sbu-i-sily-oborony-nanesli-udary-po-celyam-v-rf/1255716) - Касается ударов по объектам в РФ, не связано со схемой медикаментов. Использовано лишь как общий контекст
- [Armed Forces and SBU Strike Yaroslav Oil Refinery, Oil Terminal, and Russian Military Facilities](https://kp.ua/incidents/a732703-sily-oborony-i-sbu-nanesli-udary-po-jaroslavskomu-npz-nefteterminalu-i-voennym-obektam-rf) - Аналогично источнику 3 — о военных ударах, не о коррупционной схеме

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is the amount of damage caused by the medicine scheme?
**A:** According to the SBU, the damage to the state budget exceeded 80 million hryvnias.

### Q: How many people were detained and under what article?
**A:** Four representatives of commercial structures were detained. They have been notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement or misappropriation on an especially large scale committed by an organized group). The maximum penalty is up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

### Q: How exactly did the scheme work?
**A:** The intermediaries bought medicines from manufacturers and importers, then resold them to budget medical institutions and the Armed Forces, exceeding the state-permitted 10 percent markup. Additionally, through enterprises under their control, an artificial tax credit was created to cash out the funds.

### Q: In which regions did the group operate?
**A:** The suspects operated in Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Searches were carried out at 16 addresses.