Former Ukrainian Defence Ministry officials conspired with businessman to supply poor-quality uniforms and body armour – investigation

An independent team of professional journalists from Slidstvo.Info has found that a former Ukrainian Defence Ministry official may have colluded with a Russian-born businessman to supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine with tens of thousands of pieces of unusable body armour and poor-quality uniforms.

Source: investigation by Slidstvo.Info, a Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet

Details: Slidstvo.Info journalists tested the quality of a new winter jacket provided by a Ukrainian soldier who had been issued it by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They found that the jacket was made from low-quality materials and produced loud rustling sounds, posing a danger to soldiers attempting to sneak up on the enemy.

The tag on the jacket read "Mimaltemer Ltd." This is a Bulgarian company which, according to documents seen by Slidstvo.Info, supplied the Ukrainian army with nearly 50,000 such jackets and trousers in 2022-2023, costing the Ukrainian budget €8.5 million.

Documents found in the court register revealed that the company also supplied around 80,000 pieces of body armour. Subsequent investigations conducted by law enforcement after the body armour had been issued to Ukrainian troops found that it was unsuitable for combat conditions.

The documents reviewed by Slidstvo.Info showed that the company received €86.5 million in 2022 – €78 million for body armour and €8.5 million for uniforms.

At the time of the initial agreements with the Ukrainian Defence Ministry in spring 2022, Mimaltemer Ltd. was owned by Isa Israilovich Merzhoyev, who, according to Russian databases, holds a valid Russian passport. Ownership of the company was later transferred to his wife.

On 13 September 2022, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence signed an agreement with her for the supply of almost 50,000 sets of winter clothing.

In the winter of 2022-2023, in fulfilment of a second contract to supply body armour, the Bulgarian company purchased body armour in Türkiye at around US$600 per piece: two plates at US$160 each and US$273 for the ballistic vest. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry paid €800 for each set of body armour.

One of the court rulings mentioned that official investigations had confirmed the body armour was unsuitable for military use, causing financial losses and undermining Ukraine's defence capabilities.

When the investigators interviewed Merzhoyev, the former head of Mimaltemer Ltd., he claimed to have received no complaints about the jackets supplied and insisted the body armour was of good quality.

Through the court register, Slidstvo.Info also discovered that the Merzhoyev family had been on friendly terms for years with a Defence Ministry official who played a key role in procuring the body armour and jackets.

This official was identified as Hennadii Vdovychenko, who held the position of head of the Department for the Development of Material Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2021.

According to an announcement on the Interior Ministry's website, Vdovychenko is currently wanted for evading an investigation. He faces charges under two articles: embezzlement or misappropriation of property through abuse of power, and obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces resulting in a fatality or other serious consequences. These charges carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Vdovychenko responded to Slidstvo.Info’s questions in writing, denying any knowledge of the substandard jackets and insisting the body armour was of proper quality. He also stated that he left Ukraine legally and is participating in all court hearings.

However, the court records also mentioned other Defence Ministry officials, including Viacheslav Shapovalov and Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.

The journalists suggest that these three former Defence Ministry officials are the ones accused by the Prosecutor General’s Office of embezzling nearly UAH 2 billion (approximately US$47 million).

According to a statement on the referral of the case to the High Anti-Corruption Court, the former officials accepted protective gear without proper verification and distributed substandard equipment to Armed Forces warehouses.

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