The procurement of drones by the Bureau of Economic Security saved the state nearly 400 million UAH.

The Department of Information Analysis and Risk Management has analyzed the foreign economic activities of one Ukrainian company and a non-resident company that supplied and produced drones for the Defense Forces over the past year.

As reported by the press service of the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB).

"During the analysis, risks of unjustified inflation of prices for a number of imported goods were identified, including engines for portable aerial vehicles, thermal imaging cameras, video transmitters, remote control systems, and more," the statement said.

The press service noted that the use of an opaque chain of non-resident intermediaries was also discovered, indicating a potential risk of price manipulation. At the same time, in accordance with paragraph 6 of Article 7 of the Budget Code of Ukraine, all participants in the budget process should strive to achieve planned objectives while utilizing the minimum amount of budget funds and achieving maximum results with the allocated budget funds.

In order to eliminate the identified potential risks, within the framework of a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, BEB analysts informed the State Special Communications Service, as the main customer of the drones, and recommended reviewing the pricing indicators in contracts with the manufacturing company.

As a result of considering the BEB's recommendations, at the beginning of January 2025, the State Special Communications Service, in accordance with the provisions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine's resolution dated February 1, 2024, No. 106 "On Amendments to Paragraph 10 of the Procedure for Implementing the Experimental Project for Defense Procurement of Domestic Unmanned Systems and Electronic Warfare Means," signed additional agreements that stipulated the return of over 72 million UAH previously received funds by the manufacturer.

In addition, the company undertook contractual obligations to provide over 8,000 drones and 7 sets of unmanned aviation complexes free of charge, valued at 316 million UAH.