Ukraine exposes group accused of stealing donations for war support

An organized criminal group led by a former state secretary of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has been exposed in Ukraine, Report informs.

This was stated in a joint Telegram statement by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau, NABU, and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, SAPO.

According to the statement, members of the group embezzled more than 37 million hryvnias, or about $1.28 million, in donations from foreign citizens and donors intended to support Ukraine at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, and laundered the funds through cash-conversion centers.

The former Foreign Ministry state secretary persuaded international donors and employees of foreign diplomatic missions to send financial aid to the bank account of a public organization. The money was later transferred to accounts of controlled legal entities, which then moved it through cash-conversion centers to turn it into cash. The laundered funds were used by members of the scheme for personal purposes.

Investigators said the suspects prepared fake letters and signed grant agreements containing false information to create the appearance of lawful activity by the public organization.

The suspects include the former Foreign Ministry state secretary, who held the post from 2020 to 2024 and is accused of organizing the scheme; the former head of the state secretary's office, who is a current diplomatic employee; and an adviser to a former foreign minister, who headed and handled accounting for the public organization.