The State Procurement Agency of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has signed a 637 million UAH contract with LLC «Ukrainian Armor» (Ukrainska Bronetekhnika) for the supply of 6,000 RPG-75M disposable anti-tank grenade launchers. According to investigators, instead of the newly manufactured 2024–2026 weapons stipulated in the contract, a military unit received re-marked units dating back to the 1980s. State damages resulting from the upfront advance payment are currently estimated at 318.5 million UAH.
The agreement between the state procurement agency, headed by Arsen Zhumadilov, and the private contractor was finalized despite official warnings from the military. Prior to the contract’s signing, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Logistics Forces Command explicitly warned the state buyer that this specific weapon type was low-efficiency and advised exploring alternative options. Despite this, the contract was approved, and a 50% advance payment was promptly wired to the supplier.
In May 2026, the first batch of 3,024 grenade launchers arrived at a military storage facility. Due to prior intelligence regarding the substandard quality of the cargo, the receiving party refused to officially accept the weapons into active service, registering them strictly for temporary storage instead.
Subsequent forensic examinations and investigative measures uncovered a large-scale falsification of the weapons’ technical specifications. The suspects involved in the scheme—identified in the case materials as Pashinsky and Belbas—allegedly attempted to conceal the true age and origin of the military hardware.
From the investigation files: «Visual inspections revealed clear signs of re-marking. Beneath the newly applied external labels, investigators found original markings in the Czech language, alongside noticeable oxidation on various components. Removing the fresh labels confirmed that the core components were manufactured between 1986 and 1988.»
To execute the scheme, the perpetrators falsified accompanying technical documentation and physically altered production years and batch numbers on the weapons themselves.
Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating potential collusion between officials within the State Procurement Agency and the management of LLC «Ukrainian Armor.» Investigators note that executing a scheme of this scale would have been impossible without internal facilitation from the state procurement side.
The criminal case is being prosecuted under Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during a special period). The suspects face severe penalties for disrupting defense procurement, and the investigation remains ongoing to identify all accomplices.