Ukrainian court convicts three former officials over 251 million hryvnia body armor procurement
Ukraine’s Higher Anti-Corruption Court convicted three former officials and a charity leader over the misuse of 251 million hryvnias allocated in 2022 for body armor for the Armed Forces. No body armor was delivered. The court imposed prison terms of 10, 7 and 8 years, ordered asset confiscation, and awarded more than 296 million hryvnias in civil damages, but the verdict has not yet entered into legal force.
Key points
- The Higher Anti-Corruption Court issued the verdict on 10 November 2026 in the body armor procurement case.
- The state funds were allocated in 2022, but no body armor was delivered.
- Former Ukrpatent CEO Andriy Kudin received 10 years in prison and a three-year ban on public-service positions.
- Former acting Economy Ministry state secretary Olesia Savchuk received seven years in prison and a three-year ban on public-service positions.
- Former charity leader Andriy Chernii received eight years in prison but was acquitted of aiding the theft and misuse of funds.
- The court ordered Kudin and Savchuk to jointly pay more than 296 million hryvnias in material damages.
- The verdict has not entered into legal force, and the defendants will decide on an appeal after reviewing the full decision.
Why it matters
The case concerns the diversion of funds intended for individual protective equipment for Ukrainian military personnel. Because no body armor was delivered with the 251 million hryvnias allocated for the procurement, the convictions and civil damages award target serious misuse of defense funding. The verdict remains subject to appeal and has not yet entered into legal force.
What happened
On 10 November, the Higher Anti-Corruption Court announced a verdict in the case involving 251 million hryvnias allocated in 2022 for body armor for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The court found former Ukrpatent CEO Andriy Kudin guilty of appropriating and misusing property under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, ordered to forfeit all his property, and barred from holding public-service positions for three years.
Former acting Economy Ministry state secretary Olesia Savchuk was convicted of aiding the appropriation and misuse of property and received seven years in prison, confiscation of half her property and a three-year ban on public-service positions. Former charity leader Andriy Chernii was convicted of legalizing criminally obtained property under Part 3 of Article 209 and received eight years in prison, confiscation of all his property and a three-year ban on managerial and administrative-economic positions. He was acquitted of aiding the appropriation and misuse of funds.
The court partially upheld the state enterprise’s civil claim and ordered Kudin and Savchuk to jointly pay more than 296 million hryvnias in material damages. Until the verdict becomes legally binding, Kudin will remain under house arrest because he fled Ukraine in 2022, while Savchuk and Chernii must wear electronic monitoring bracelets.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting focuses on the sentences and asset confiscations for the former state enterprise director, former acting state secretary and former charity leader. Journalists also highlight the military purpose of the procurement, the fact that no body armor was delivered, the civil damages award and the unresolved appeal process. The roles of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in the investigation receive substantial attention.
Background
The funds were allocated in 2022 for body armor procurement for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the prosecution, more than 250 million hryvnias were transferred in June 2022 from the state enterprise’s account to the charity’s account for what was presented as armor procurement for the Defense Ministry, then diverted through a series of fictitious enterprises. In May 2024, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau referred the case to court. Separately, the former chief accountant of the state enterprise, Olena Silka, received a two-year prison sentence in late 2023 under a plea agreement, along with confiscation of all her property and a three-year ban on holding certain positions.