How Ukraine's borders were deprived of "Shield" protection

At the beginning of the war, the borders of Ukraine were deprived of the necessary protection in the form of installation of a signaling complexes "Shield", despite the allocated funding for it.

The disruption of the supply was due to the organized manual scheme of choice of the contractor and personal interest in such a supplier of individual officials of the apparatus of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. The chronology of the failure of the decay, which cost Ukraine the lack of protection of our borders, the editorial staff dismantled in the material.

The history of the scheme dates back to 2021. It should be noted here that the procurement department of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, or "Group X", as it is called the head of the DPSU apparatus Vladimir Sheremet, is under full control. Formally, the DPSU Administration is headed by Leonid Baran, but all its actions take place exclusively at the instructions of Sheremety, explain informed sources of the editorial board in law enforcement agencies.

Therefore, in 2021, Mr. Sheremet suggested that the Chernivtsi border guards study and investigate the signaling complex of protection of local areas "Seismal Shield" made of Paralax LLC (Ukraine, Kyiv). The tests were successful. The efficiency and expediency of using such a complex was confirmed by the relevant test of the test of May 2021.

Then, the need for SSSU in such complexes was estimated at 120 units. The cost of one complex was UAH 2.5 million. The term of production from the date of signing of the contract, declared by the Ukrainian manufacturer, was 3 - 6 months. However, then history developed in a completely different scenario.

Purchase from "their" Poles

In order to execute (dated May 31) “On the purchase of border protection signaling complexes”) in 2022 the Chernivtsi SPSU unit reported on the readiness of purchase of 10 such complexes. However, with the unspoken intervention of Sheremeta, this readiness was based on the proposal not by the Ukrainian manufacturer, but by the Polish company Integra Bropsp. ZOO in it the cost of 1 set was 85.7 thousand euros (or almost 3.5 million UAH!), And the total cost of purchase - 857 thousand euros, respectively.

Since the war began in 2022, and Chernivtsi border guards lost the opportunity to enter into contracts with foreign companies, which is due to the action of martial law, the Central Office of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, and in fact, the Sheremet -controlled purchase department took place. The purpose of the purchase has become new, and such complexes should already perform strategic defense tasks. But it happened quite differently. Background arrangements and probably a significant corruption component "won" the needs of protecting Ukrainian borders.

Signing a failed contract

In September 2022, in the midst of the war, the SPSU concluded with the Polish Integra Brops. ZOO Treaty for the purchase of seismic complexes "Shield" (contract No. 26-22) paragraph 1.1 of which obliged the Polish side "to produce and transfer to the property of the customer complexes in the number of 10 sets". The cost of complexes, compared to the Ukrainian manufacturer, was overpriced by UAH 1 million. On the contrary, this difference could be conditioned by the level of "earnings" of stakeholders.

In the 20's of October, the Poles have already received 50% of the prepayment under the amount of 428.5 thousand euros. However, one month before repayment of the prepayment of Integra Bropsp. ZOO letter of March 3, 2023 informed the State Tax Administration of the need to postpone the "delivery time of finished products" on June 30, 2023. And the reason for such a request was that the Polish manufacturer "favored the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Poland".

Sheremet, in plot with the Polish company, tried to mask his trail in the equipment, and then signed a letter to Integra Bropsp. ZOO with a request to "execute the contract".

After that, the financial department of the State Tax Service of Ukraine was officially informed of the alleged intentions of the Sheremette of the Polish company "to put the first 5 sets of goods before 06.04.2023, and the rest 5 - until 30.04.2023." The deadline for the contract was moved on 16.05.2023.

Polish “force majeure”

Subsequently, Integra Bropsp. ZOO again informed the SSSU about the unable to execute the contract in new terms and asked to transfer it to 30.06 2023. Sheremet, of course, had no objection, and exactly three days before the end of the contract after the expiration of the marginal term of delivery of the goods (allegedly in response to the initiative of the Polish side) continued the contract with Integra Bropsp. ZOO by July 25, 2023. Therefore, without any penalties, a new additional agreement was concluded.

The third Integra Bropsp. ZOO, referring to force majeure (without specifying either dates or time or places of their occurrence), delayed the execution of the DPSU order by September 10, 2023. And then, under the unofficial instruction of Sheremeta, the procurement department of the State Tax Service of Ukraine made a report "On the need to sign another additional agreement" with the Poles. It was dated July 27, 2023.

Only on September 8, the ordered equipment finally arrived at the City Capital Customs Control, but the Customs Service of Ukraine announced the need to pay the customs duty in the amount of UAH 10.8 million. And since the Polish company does not, at the insistence of Sheremety, the SPSU has again extended the contract with Integra Bropsp. ZOO The third additional agreement of September 9, 2023 (the day before the expiration of the delivery of the goods) continued the "Polish" agreement until 22.12.2023.

Instead of “shields”

The execution of the contract No. 26-22 of 23.09.2022 is currently failure to provide the tasks of the State Tax Service for the protection of the most dangerous areas of the state border and the absence 5 months after the expiration date of delivery of the deployed complexes "Shield". Also, as of now, a penalty of 0.1% of the value of the goods and a fine of 7% has not yet been collected from the Polish firm. Therefore, the state is caused in the form of overdue receivables from Integra Bropsp. ZOO worth more than 400 thousand euros and in the form of a non -penalty for violation of the terms of fulfillment of obligations, which in total is more than 113 thousand euros.

More than half a million euros for one and a half years of the war were spent on the "air" and, obviously, the enrichment of individual officials, which in the way of abuse of power can be directly involved in depriving the borders of the country of proper protection.

The editorial office leaves under the SSSU the right to speak about the information presented and at the same time appeals to the authorized law enforcement agencies of Ukraine on the implementation of their response measures provided for by the legislation.