Media: Ukraine purchased Russian BTR engines through a Moldovan firm
A Russian engine for Ukrainian military equipment is being bought at an inflated price through a firm from Moldova.
The story is outlined on Slidstvo.Info (independent journalist investigative project) on Hromadske TV (Ukrainian TV Channel).
“(…) the Moldovan company bought 20 engines at the KAMAZ factory, and this company brought these engines into Moldova with two trucks. The company which imported these engines is a Moldovan-Ukrainian company. A few days later it resold these engines to another company - “Autopresent”, the other Moldovan company resold them to a third, German company, and the German company brought these engines into Ukraine. This arrangement, in which four economic agents are involved...”, the writers of the investigation explain.
According to the information, in order to avoid buying motors directly from Russia, “Ukrinmash”, a subsidiary of “Ukroboronprom”, purchased 20 engines for Ukrainian BTR-80s through a Moldovan intermediary firm.
The Ukrainian defense concern paid $15,000 per engine.
In an attempt to calculate how much the engines actually cost in Moldova, the journalists got several commercial offers.
In Moldova the components were available for sale at no more than 10,000 euros each, including VAT, which is almost 5,000 cheaper than the price paid by the subsidiary of “Ukroboronprom” to the intermediaries.
According to the journalists, the Moldovan firm “Aprotehpro” is connected by means of its founding members to the Babenko Brothers, who are close to ex-MP of “Batkivshchyna” Oleksandr Dubovoy.
According to the mass media, MP Sergey Pashinsky, who chairs the National Security and Defense Council, has a significant influence on the work of “Ukroboronprom”. Oleksandr Dubovoy is an old friend of Pashinsky. They were recently seen leaving the Presidential Administrative Building together.
Dubovoy himself claims that he has nothing to do with the delivery of the engines.
“I met Pashinsky on the way out of the Presidential Administrative Building (I was booked a pass), where he took me by the hand, and we went for a walk. I returned to the pass office, and he went to his car,” stated Dubovoy, explaining his walk with Pashinsky along Bankova Street.
The ex-MP refused to speak about the matters he dealt with in the Presidential Administrative Building.