Ukraine saves UAH 3.3B on purchase of drones – ministry

Due to the cooperation of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), more than UAH 3.3 billion of public funds were saved on the purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The press service of the Ministry of Digital Transformation said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"Thanks to the cooperation of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and SAPO, it was possible to save more than UAH 3.3 billion of public funds for the purchase of UAVs within the Army of Drones [project]," the post reads.

Of this amount, about UAH 1.8 billion was used to purchase an additional 18,413 drones for the Defense Forces, and almost UAH 1.5 billion was returned to the budget.

The Ministry noted that a rigorous system of oversight was established following the initial state contracts to ensure the achievement of these results.

Each drone is subject to a mandatory official price evaluation and is immediately entered into the CRM system, which contains all the contracts of the State Special Communications Service for drones. In real time, anti-corruption activists can view the status of the procurement process, including the manufacturers, costs, and all contract details.

Furthermore, in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, a specialized supply chain team was established to ascertain reasonable pricing for Ukrainian drones. This team works in collaboration with NABU and journalists to ensure fair and competitive pricing.

All processes are conducted within the SAPO resource management system, which enables the monitoring of drone movements from manufacturer to front line.

As reported, Ukraine has contracted 1 million domestically produced drones for the Defense Forces.

Photo: Ground Forces