The detention of Serhiy Haiday, the former head of the Luhansk OAV, by NABU detectives was an unexpected but telling signal of a new round of corruption schemes in the defense sector. Haiday is suspected of involvement in the inflated purchases of drones and electronic warfare equipment for the National Guard of Ukraine. This is far from a small matter - we are talking about millions of dollars and defense contracts against the backdrop of war.
Interestingly, Gaidai was recently considered as a candidate for positions in Poltava and Ivano-Frankivsk regions — regions of strategic importance for logistics. But instead of a new appointment, he received suspicion. This may indicate that Gaidai was carrying out someone else's will — and was part of a much broader scheme that reaches the top of the power vertical.
Without the permission of the National Guard command, the supply of any equipment to this structure is impossible. So, the question arises: why is only the contractor suspected, and not those who approved the purchases?
The commander of the National Guard, Oleksandr Pivnenko, is already involved in a case of embezzlement of 400 million hryvnias on armored vehicles. This is directly related to defense procurement. And his immediate superior, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, is involved in another high-profile case related to the withdrawal of 554 million dollars through the Polish intermediary Lechmar. According to journalists, the initiator of this scheme was also Defense Minister Umerov.
All the threads from the drone case lead upwards - to the command of the National Guard and the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Therefore, it is logical to assume that Gaidai is only an executor. His detention could be a convenient way to demonstrate the activity of anti-corruption agencies without affecting the most influential people.
However, the key question remains open: will the investigation reach the "top"? Will there be at least one high-profile verdict in cases involving ministers, generals, and those close to the government? And will another high-profile arrest turn into the usual "draining" of the case - with an imitation of justice instead of a real cleansing of the system?
So far, we have strong suspicions, but no strong answers. And there are more and more reasons to doubt that responsibility in these cases will be truly vertical, and not just decorative.
