The Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Ruslan Kravchenko, announced the arrest of two high-ranking officials involved in a corruption scheme related to the construction of aircraft shelters. The accused include the logistics commander of the Ukrainian Air Force and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in a certain region.
In May 2025, approximately 1.4 billion UAH was allocated for the construction of temporary arch structures intended for aircraft protection. However, Kravchenko revealed that inspections by the SBU’s Military Counterintelligence Department uncovered significant violations. The projects failed to meet safety standards, the structures did not provide adequate protection for aircraft, and the costs were grossly inflated, with advance payments already being processed.
To conceal the embezzlement of budget funds and halt the inspections, the logistics commander allegedly sought assistance from the head of the SBU in the region to facilitate bribery of military counterintelligence leadership. The latter reportedly agreed and acted as a ‘guarantor’ of the arrangement, personally involving one of the contractors in the scheme.
According to the investigation, to evade accountability and ensure the inspections were not obstructed, the officials proposed a bribe of around 13 million UAH (1% of the project funding) to cover up the misappropriation of budget funds. They also planned to engage ‘compliant’ auditors to produce false reports regarding the construction quality.
Kravchenko noted that on February 25, during an attempted bribe exchange, the participants of the scheme were caught red-handed, with 320,000 USD seized. The Ukrainian Air Force and the SBU have yet to comment on the arrests.
Two senior Ukrainian military officials have been arrested for corruption related to aircraft shelter construction, with significant budgetary violations uncovered. The case highlights serious misconduct within military procurement processes.