Anti-corruption authorities conducts raid of Ukraine's ex-defense minister

2025-07-05 05:24:16

(MENAFN) Ukrainian media outlets have reported that anti-corruption authorities conducted a raid at the home of Aleksey Reznikov, the country’s former defense minister, as part of an ongoing probe into alleged embezzlement during his time in office.

According to sources cited by local reports, agents from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) entered Reznikov’s residence and reportedly confiscated an “undeclared” mobile phone and certain documents. However, it remains unclear whether Reznikov was present during the raid or if he was formally questioned or detained.

While NABU has not released an official statement about the operation, individuals close to the former minister acknowledged that a search had taken place but denied that any materials were removed from the property.

The investigation is reportedly tied to a large-scale corruption case concerning military food supply contracts. Back in April, NABU disclosed that it was looking into the suspected misappropriation of over 733 million hryvnia (roughly $17.6 million) from defense procurement funds, with another 788 million hryvnia (about $18.9 million) allegedly targeted in a related scheme.

At the time, Reznikov was not officially named as a suspect. Nevertheless, reports indicated that authorities were still examining whether he had any direct involvement.

Reznikov’s time at the Defense Ministry was marked by a series of scandals, including accusations of price manipulation and procurement fraud. One high-profile case involved military jackets whose costs reportedly tripled between shipment and delivery.

Other controversies involved alleged overpayments for food supplies and payments made to dubious vendors for goods that were either inferior in quality or never delivered. A surge of investigative reporting in early 2023 brought many of these issues to light, sparking public backlash and leading to Reznikov’s resignation in September of that year.

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