On November 29, 2024, the government headed by Denys Shmygal, at the request of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, made a scandalous decision that led to the redirection of 23 billion hryvnias from the Ministry of Defense to the State Border Service of Ukraine (SPSU) for the purchase of weapons for the Armed Forces. This decision has already caused outrage among analysts and journalists.
Journalist and military expert Serhii Zgurets and the author of the project "Our Money" Yuriy Nikolov call this situation the biggest "one-time" scam of the year. According to Nikolov, the transfer of funds through the DPSU bears the hallmarks of a classic "cut and dump" scheme with dubious intentions, especially in the context of the upcoming elections.
In addition, "Censor.NET" journalist Tetyana Nikolayenko investigated why the government made this decision so quickly, and why the contract for the supply of weapons for the DPSU was awarded to the Polish company "PHU Lechmar", which, according to Nikolav, does not have its own production and has a dubious reputation due to supply disruptions during the war.
Another question that arises in the context of this situation is why the purchase was not transferred to the "Defense Procurement Agency", which has the authority to make large arms purchases and ensure that suppliers are checked for compliance and integrity.
According to information from the General Staff, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a significant shortage of anti-tank mines, which makes it difficult to create reliable defensive lines. Such a situation creates risks if the enemy can capture strategic points, for example, Pokrovsk, which will open the way to advance on the Dnipro.
