Defence Ministry bought equipment from company with Russian links

The Defence Ministry purchased 2 billion hryvnia worth of equipment from a company with Russian links.

According to the investigation, the Ministry of Defence bought substandard body armour and winter uniforms for the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Bulgarian company “Mimaltemer”. The firm consisted of a single employee, and its owner was Russian citizen Isa Merzhaev. Later, to avoid sanctions, ownership was transferred to Isa’s wife, French citizen Oksana Merzhaeva.

In total, “Mimaltemer” supplied more than 80,000 body armour vests and approximately 50,000 sets of winter uniforms for a sum exceeding €86.5 million. However, the body armour did not meet standards and proved incapable of providing protection in combat conditions. The winter uniforms also caused dissatisfaction: they were found to be thin, easily torn and noisy, prompting complaints from military personnel.

The investigation established a link between the company’s management and representatives of the Ministry of Defence. Hennadii Vdovychenko, head of the Department for the Development of Material and Technical Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is suspected of receiving a bribe from “Mimaltemer”. 

Part of the funds under the contract was transferred to the accounts of his ex-wife in France. For the body armour deal alone, she received more than €1 million.

Vdovychenko is currently on the run. He and two other former Ministry of Defence officials are charged with embezzlement amounting to 2 billion hryvnia. The maximum penalty for these charges could be up to 15 years of imprisonment.