The Supreme Anti-Corruption Court has imposed a preventive measure on the former general director of the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant in the case of embezzlement of over 102 million hryvnias during the purchase of dynamic protection for tanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As reported by the press services of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the High Court of Criminal Appeals, the court decided to keep the suspect in custody with the alternative of posting bail in the amount of 30.28 million hryvnias. He was also assigned a number of procedural obligations. The term of the preventive measure is set until February 15, 2026.
According to sources, this is Leonid Shyman, a long-time head of the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant, who has headed the enterprise since 1999. He is the chief designer of solid-fuel rocket engines, a corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and holds the title of Hero of Ukraine. In July 2025, he was dismissed from his position, which was taken over by Dmytro Vashnevsky. Leonid Shyman also appears in several criminal proceedings being investigated by the NABU.
According to the investigation, in April 2022, after the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine concluded a contract with the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant for the urgent supply of dynamic protection for tanks. However, according to law enforcement, the enterprise purchased these products through fictitious companies at prices almost three times higher than market prices. Thus, the difference between the real cost of the goods and the contract amount was legalized, which led to the appropriation of more than 102 million hryvnias of budget funds.
In addition, in April 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine detained Shyman, his deputy and the former head of one of the military offices of the Ministry of Defense in the case of the supply of defective 120-mm mines to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The former director is also suspected of abuse of office, as a result of which the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant, according to investigators, received at least 43 million hryvnias less.
The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement agencies are identifying all individuals who may have been involved in the implementation of corruption schemes in the field of defense procurement.
