The Ukrainian defense industry is critically important for the country's security, but not all companies operating in this sector demonstrate transparency and efficiency. One of the most striking examples is Screenek LLC.
By 2023, the company specialized in manufacturing Chinese COVID tests with an annual revenue of about 1.5 million hryvnias. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Screenek dramatically changed its business profile, becoming a supplier of unmanned aerial vehicles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The company purchased components through a structure associated with a sanctioned businessman, a defendant in money laundering cases.
According to the declarations, in 2023, Screenek declared almost 3 billion hryvnias in revenue and over 500 million in profit. Already in 2024, the company's revenue grew to 6.5 billion hryvnias, and net profit amounted to 1.1 billion hryvnias. Such a growth of more than 1990 times in three years was made possible thanks to contracts for the supply of drones concluded under closed procedures with undisclosed prices.
The lack of open control makes it impossible to verify the effectiveness of the use of public funds allocated for defense.
Amidst the critical needs of Ukraine's military, contracts are accompanied by delays in deliveries and non-compliance of equipment with declared characteristics. Part of the funds are transferred offshore, which creates additional risks for the effectiveness of defense procurement.
Despite complaints filed regarding the illegal activities of the company and related persons, law enforcement agencies demonstrate systematic inaction, which allows the continuation of illegal schemes and harms the country's defense sector.
