The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has exposed a corruption scheme involving the embezzlement of 104 million UAH allocated for the construction of protective structures for critical energy infrastructure in the Zakarpattia region. The primary suspect is Yuriy Maksymenko, the former head of the regional Service for Infrastructure Restoration and Development, who held the position between 2023 and 2024. The SBU press center announced the investigation findings on Tuesday.
According to the investigation, in March 2024, the then-official signed off on completed work state acts for the construction of a protective shelter at a key regional electrical substation. The total budget for the massive infrastructure project was valued at 5.1 billion UAH.
Law enforcement established that to siphon off a portion of the state funds, the official approved the procurement of construction materials at artificially inflated prices. The skimmed profits were then funneled through controlled shell companies and distributed among the scheme’s participants. Corruption in Ukraine’s energy sector during wartime is being prosecuted under the strictest articles of the Criminal Code.
The security service emphasized that the fraudulent activities directly jeopardized the stable operation of Zakarpattia’s critical infrastructure. Due to the financial manipulation, the timeline for completing the strategic facility is now facing severe delays.
«Due to the embezzlement of funds, there were risks of missing the completion deadlines, and the protective structures for the energy facility remain unfinished to this day,» the SBU stated.
Investigative actions are ongoing to hold all individuals involved in the theft of public funds accountable. Under Ukrainian law, a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.