The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has exposed a scheme where drones for the front lines were purchased at prices several times higher than market rates. The money ended up in the pockets of officials and affiliated companies, while the military received far fewer unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) than they could have.

Kyiv, October 28, 2025 — The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has announced the exposure of a large-scale corruption scheme within the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (State Special Communications). According to the investigation, agency officials, in collusion with representatives of private companies, embezzled UAH 90 million in budget funds allocated for the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This all took place in 2023 — when every drone on the front could mean the difference between life and death.

The Scheme: Inflated Prices, Pre-Selected Winners

According to NABU, the State Special Communications received UAH 30 billion from the state budget specifically for UAV procurement. The head of one of the agency’s departments wasted no time in setting up a classic corruption carousel:

• Drones were purchased at grossly inflated prices.
• Contracts were awarded to pre-determined private companies linked to the officials.
• The difference between the actual cost of the UAVs and the contract amounts — UAH 90 million — ended up in the pockets of the scheme’s participants.

This was not a mistake or “inefficient management.” This was systematic embezzlement during wartime, when every hryvnia was meant to go toward defending the country.

A National Pastime: Whoever Steals Faster Wins

Sadly, in Ukraine, corruption has long ceased to be an exception — it has become a national obsession. State Special Communications, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ministry of Defense, Ukroboronprom, customs, NABU, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) — it seems no state institution remains untouched by scandals involving the misappropriation of budget funds.

This is no longer just a crime. It is a competition: who can steal more, who can cover their tracks more cleverly, who can slip out of investigators’ sight the fastest. The golden rule of the game: never lead the investigation back to yourself. When NABU or the SBU probes corruption in a “neighboring” agency, it looks heroic. But when the trail gets too close to their own offices, suddenly there are “technical issues,” “lost evidence,” or “political pressure.”

The War Rages On, Pockets Stay Full

While Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines count every drone battery, officials in the rear count kickbacks. UAH 90 million could have bought thousands of drones — enough to save lives, destroy enemy equipment, and hold positions. Instead, the money went toward new apartments, luxury cars, and overseas vacations for the “effective managers” of State Special Communications and their business cronies.

Unanswered Questions

• Why did State Special Communications leadership fail to notice “anomalies” in procurements worth UAH 30 billion?
• Who exactly among the officials received the kickbacks?
• Which companies were involved in the scheme — and are they linked to other state institutions?
• And most importantly: when will someone finally go to prison instead of just being “suspended from duty”?

NABU is already conducting searches and detaining suspects. But experience shows: in a year or two, the case will “fizzle out,” the figures will flee abroad, and new schemes will already be up and running in the next agency.

Corruption in Ukraine is not a problem of a few “bad apples.” It is a system where everyone plays by their own rules. And as long as this system functions, drones for the front will be bought at gold-plated prices, while soldiers continue to die for lack of equipment.

Shame. Not just on State Special Communications. But on the entire system that allows this to happen during wartime.

Additional Context: How It Looks in Practice

To grasp the scale, consider this: in 2023, the average market price for a combat FPV drone ranged from UAH 15,000 to 25,000 (depending on configuration). With UAH 90 million, 3,600 to 6,000 units could have been purchased — an entire air fleet for a single brigade. Instead, experts estimate the scheme allowed for half as many to be acquired.

Or take another example: one of the contracts, according to NABU sources, involved purchasing drones at UAH 120,000 per unit — 5 to 8 times the market price. Such figures cannot be explained by “exclusivity,” “certification,” or “urgency.” This is pure kickback.

Who’s Behind the Scheme?

Although names have not yet been disclosed, law enforcement sources hint that the department head was not acting alone. He operated in collusion with agency leadership and intermediaries who have prior experience in Ministry of Defense and SBU tenders. Some of the supplier companies are registered to relatives of officials or have offshore footprints in Cyprus and Estonia.

Public Reaction: From Despair to Rage

Social media is already boiling over:

“Drones for 120k? I assemble them myself for 18k and they fly better than these ‘tender miracles.’” “Same story every time. Steal — get caught — get released — steal again.” “This isn’t corruption. This is treason during wartime.”

Volunteers who raise millions monthly for drones are furious: “We see on the front lines how our guys die for lack of UAVs. Meanwhile, someone in the rear is buying a Dubai apartment with our taxes.”

Conclusion: The Fight Against Corruption Is Also a Front

While the Armed Forces battle an external enemy, the system is losing to an internal one. UAH 90 million is not just a number. It is soldiers’ lives, lost positions, failed operations.

If the state cannot punish the guilty here and now, if the courts drag the case out for years once again — what kind of victory are we even talking about?

Shame. Not just on State Special Communications. But on the entire system that allows this to happen during wartime. It’s time not just to “expose” — it’s time to imprison. Otherwise, drones for the front will be paid for not in hryvnias, but in blood.