Defense Ministry denies buying low-quality uniforms for Territorial Defense

The Defense Ministry denied on Aug. 11 the involvement in a purchase of low-quality uniforms worth Hr 35 million ($950,000) after a director of a sewing factory was arrested for selling unusable gear for Ukraine's Territorial Defense.

The textile company won three state contracts in 2022 to supply uniforms which, according to laboratory tests, proved unsuitable for their intended purpose, the Interior Ministry reported earlier on Aug. 11.

The detained director faces up to 12 years in prison and the ban to hold certain positions for three years. Law enforcement is currently collecting information on all other people involved in the scheme, the Interior Ministry said.

According to the Defense Ministry's statement, the contracts were concluded between the factory and a military unit without the ministry's involvement.

"Departments of the Defense Ministry were NOT INVOLVED in the procurement process of identifying the need, finding a contractor, concluding a contract, and monitoring the implementation of technical conditions," the press statement said, emphasizing that the ministry has "zero tolerance for corruption."

The Ukrainian news outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia published an investigation on Aug. 10 according to which the Defense Ministry purchased $33 million worth of "winter" clothes for the military from a Turkish company in 2022.

The associated contracts were reportedly tampered with during shipment to inflate the price, and the clothes turned out to be unusable for winter as they were most likely summer jackets.