Deputy Director of Ukrainian Armor Beaten by SBU Officers During Illegal Search – Statement

09.07.2026

Today, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies once again demonstrated why foreign investors remain reluctant to invest in Ukraine and why Ukrainian companies are unable to attract hundreds of millions of euros in investment, as their European and American counterparts do.

During a search conducted by officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the First Deputy Director of Ukrainian Armor LLC was brutally beaten in his own home. As a result of the excessive use of force, he sustained multiple injuries, suffered a concussion, and was hospitalized.

What makes this situation particularly alarming is that these actions took place within the framework of what we believe to be a fabricated criminal case, initiated solely for the purpose of exerting pressure on the largest private defense-industrial enterprise in Ukraine and undermining its operations during a time of war.

In February 2026, the State Enterprise “Defense Procurement Agency” (DPA), acting upon an urgent requirement of the General Staff of Ukraine, announced a procurement procedure for disposable anti-tank rocket launchers of the RPG-18, RPG-22, RPG-26 type or their equivalents.

Approximately twenty different suppliers participated in the procurement process, including Ukrainian Armor LLC.

The proposal submitted by Ukrainian Armor LLC contained several alternative systems for the customer’s consideration, including the Bulspike-AT anti-tank launcher, the Bulspike-TB thermobaric launcher, the RPG-75M, and the RTG-68mm. Each of these systems constitutes a functional equivalent of the RPG-18, RPG-22, or RPG-26. Furthermore, all of these launcher types had previously been supplied by Ukrainian Armor LLC to Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces in quantities of thousands of units without a single quality complaint or reclamation.

In order to ensure the efficient use of public funds, DPA twice requested price reductions from participating suppliers. On both occasions, Ukrainian Armor LLC conducted negotiations with the manufacturers and accordingly reduced its pricing proposal for each launcher type offered.

Following the evaluation of all bids submitted under the procurement procedure, the proposals submitted by Ukrainian Armor LLC were recognized as the most economically advantageous. DPA independently selected the lowest-priced option among the proposed systems — the RPG-75M manufactured by Zeveta Ammunition, a Czech defense company located in a NATO member state that supplies tens of thousands of such systems worldwide, including to Ukraine.

In May 2026, Ukrainian Armor LLC delivered the launchers to the consignee designated by DPA. In June 2026, the company fully fulfilled all contractual obligations and completed delivery of the contracted products to the designated warehouse.

It should be noted that, as of today, the final acceptance procedure by DPA has not yet been completed. At the same time, no complaints, defect reports, or quality claims have been received from the customer regarding the supplied products.

Despite these facts, SBU officers are allegedly attempting to fabricate claims concerning the quality of the launchers and are relying on questionable expert assessments intended to create the appearance that the products are defective.

The investigators appear to have completely disregarded the fact that these launchers were supplied directly from the original manufacturer, which has not been meaningfully involved in any assessment of the quality, condition, or compliance of the delivered products.

Instead, SBU officers have resorted to methods reminiscent of the worst practices of past authoritarian periods, targeting Ukraine’s largest private defense company through a criminal case that we believe to be unfounded and politically motivated. During the searches conducted under this case, serious bodily harm was inflicted upon the First Deputy Director of the company.

Such actions not only discredit the Security Service of Ukraine itself but also inflict substantial damage on Ukraine’s defense capabilities, undermine confidence in the rule of law, and send a deeply negative signal to international investors, partners, and allies whose support remains critical for Ukraine’s victory and post-war reconstruction.

We call upon the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, in the exercise of its supervisory authority, to thoroughly review the grounds for initiating this criminal proceeding, investigate the circumstances surrounding the use of force against the company’s executive, and put an immediate end to any unlawful actions by SBU officers involving physical pressure, intimidation, or abuse against employees of a defense enterprise operating in the interests of Ukraine’s national security.

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