--- title: "Commander of a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit in Kharkiv region tried to sell nearly 500 kg of TNT via Telegram channels" description: "The SBU, together with the National Police, detained the commander of a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit in Kharkiv region who was trying to sell nearly 500 kg of TNT via Telegram channels. He faces up to 7 years of imprisonment." date: 2026-09-11T13:52:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/vsu-unit-commander-tried-to-sell-500-kg-of-tnt tags: [ukraine, sbu, vsu, military, explosives, trotil, kharkiv, corruption] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Commander of a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit in Kharkiv region tried to sell nearly 500 kg of TNT via Telegram channels ![Ukrainian military counterintelligence officers detain a unit commander who tried to sell 500 kg of TNT via Telegram channels in Kharkiv region](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/komandir-podrazdeleniya-vsu-pytalsya-prodat-500-kg-trotila/komandir-podrazdeleniya-vsu-pytalsya-prodat-500-kg-trotila-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The commander of a mechanized brigade unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was detained in Kharkiv region for attempting to sell nearly 500 kg of TNT. - The explosives were stored in hideouts in the front-line area, while buyers were sought through Telegram channels with a promise of delivery in an official vehicle. - The suspect is charged under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; he is in custody and faces up to 7 years of imprisonment. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), jointly with the National Police, detained the commander of a mechanized brigade unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who was attempting to illegally sell nearly half a ton of TNT. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing the SBU, this is one of the largest seizures of explosive substances uncovered since the start of the full-scale war. The detention took place "in the act" in the Chuhuiv district of Kharkiv region, near a military unit, at the moment of the actual sale. On site, law enforcement officers seized the batch of TNT prepared for handover, as well as a smartphone containing evidence of contacts with buyers. ### How the sales scheme was organized According to law enforcement, the commander was looking for buyers through dedicated Telegram channels where offers for the trade in explosive substances were posted. A detail that underscores the audacity of the scheme was his promise to customers to personally deliver the TNT in his official vehicle β€” that is, the offender intended to use state-issued transport for criminal purposes. This indicates that the sales channel was being built not as a one-off deal, but as a sustainable scheme designed for multiple transactions. ### Storage of explosives in front-line hideouts The special service established that the suspect stored the explosives in pre-arranged hideouts in the front-line area of Kharkiv region, where his unit was temporarily stationed. Using the area of temporary deployment of a military unit to conceal TNT indicates that the criminal activity was carried out against the backdrop of combat missions and under conditions of limited control over warehouse and auxiliary facilities. It was precisely this geography of storage that complicated the detection of the schemes and required comprehensive intelligence preparation of the operation. ### Course of the operation and seizure of evidence The comprehensive measures were carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine jointly with the National Police, with the assistance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and under the procedural supervision of the Kharkiv specialized prosecutor's office in the defense sector of the Eastern region. Operatives detained the suspect at the moment of the sale in the Chuhuiv district. During the detention, the prepared batch of TNT and a smartphone with recorded contacts with buyers were seized, which allowed documenting both the fact of illegal handling of explosive substances and the channels of their sale. ### Legal qualification and preventive measure The suspect was notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine β€” illegal handling of explosive substances. The man is currently in custody, and he faces a penalty of up to seven years of imprisonment. The choice of preventive measure in the form of detention reflects the gravity of the charged offense and the risk of repeated actions, given that the suspect holds a command position and has access to official resources. ### Context: the SBU's systematic counteraction The Security Service of Ukraine emphasizes that such detentions are part of a systematic counteraction to corrupt schemes and criminal activity within the country. In particular, earlier in the Luhansk regional military administration, officials were exposed who had attempted to appropriate 5 million hryvnia during state procurement, and in Kyiv region the SBU foiled a contract killing of a well-known public activist, detaining a 19-year-old FSB agent directly during the preparation of the attack. The perpetrators face lengthy prison terms for embezzlement of budget funds, which, according to the special service, demonstrates the consistency of the fight both against internal abuses and against the adversary's subversive activity in the rear. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [In Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian Armed Forces commander tried to sell nearly 500 kg of TNT (photo)](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/harkivshchini-komandir-zsu-namagavsya-prodati-1789134389.html) - ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€Π²ΠΈΡ‡Π½ΠΎΠ΅ сообщСниС со ссылкой Π½Π° Π‘Π‘Π£: ΠΎΠ±ΡŠΡ‘ΠΌ ~500 ΠΊΠ³ Ρ‚Ρ€ΠΎΡ‚ΠΈΠ»Π°, Π·Π°Π΄Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ°Π½ΠΈΠ΅ Π² ЧугуСвском Ρ€Π°ΠΉΠΎΠ½Π΅, Ρ‡. 1 ст. 263 УК, Π΄ΠΎ 7 Π»Π΅Ρ‚. - [In Kharkiv region, the commander of a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit tried to sell nearly 500 kg of TNT](https://from-ua.org/news/703842-v-xarkovskoi-oblasti-komandir-podrazdeleniia-vsu-pytalsia-prodat-pocti-500-kg-trotila.html) - Π‘ΠΎΠ²ΠΏΠ°Π΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΠΏΠΎ ΠΎΠ±ΡŠΡ‘ΠΌΡƒ, Ρ€ΠΎΠ»ΠΈ ΠΊΠΎΠΌΠ°Π½Π΄ΠΈΡ€Π° подраздСлСния, схСмС Ρ‡Π΅Ρ€Π΅Π· Telegram ΠΈ Ρ‚Π°ΠΉΠ½ΠΈΠΊΠ°ΠΌ Π½Π° ΠΏΡ€ΠΈΡ„Ρ€ΠΎΠ½Ρ‚ΠΎΠ²ΠΎΠΉ Ρ‚Π΅Ρ€Ρ€ΠΈΡ‚ΠΎΡ€ΠΈΠΈ. - [Nearly 500 kg of TNT for sale – the commander of a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit was detained in Kharkiv region](https://kp.ua/incidents/a735869-pochti-500-kh-trotila-na-prodazhu-v-kharkovskoj-oblasti-zaderzhali-komandira-podrazdelenija-vsu) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚ задСрТания ΠΊΠΎΠΌΠ°Π½Π΄ΠΈΡ€Π° подраздСлСния Π’Π‘Π£ ΠΈ ΠΎΠ±ΡŠΡ‘ΠΌ ΠΏΠ°Ρ€Ρ‚ΠΈΠΈ ΠΏΠΎΡ‡Ρ‚ΠΈ 500 ΠΊΠ³ Ρ‚Ρ€ΠΎΡ‚ΠΈΠ»Π°. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who exactly was detained and for what? **A:** The commander of a mechanized brigade unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was detained for attempting to illegally sell nearly 500 kg of TNT. He was notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal handling of explosive substances). ### Q: Where and how were the explosives stored? **A:** The TNT was stored in pre-arranged hideouts in the front-line area of Kharkiv region, where the suspect's unit was temporarily stationed. He was looking for buyers through dedicated Telegram channels and promised to deliver the cargo in an official vehicle. ### Q: What preventive measure and punishment does the suspect face? **A:** The suspect is in custody. Under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, he faces imprisonment for up to seven years. ### Q: Who carried out the operation? **A:** The comprehensive measures were carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police, with the assistance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and under the procedural supervision of the Kharkiv specialized prosecutor's office in the defense sector of the Eastern region.