Law enforcement officials have uncovered a scheme for supplying low-quality rolling stock to Ukrzaliznytsya, which could have caused more than UAH 64 million in damage to the state. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced this on Facebook on May 4.
The investigation claims that Ukrzaliznytsia entered into an agreement with the company for the supply of passenger cars and wheel sets for the Ukrainian and European gauge.
The products were manufactured, delivered and put into operation, but within a few years, during routine maintenance, critical defects were discovered – cracks and damage to key structural elements, although the standard service life should have been decades.
The examinations cited by Kravchenko indicate that steel with underrated characteristics could have been used in production, and welding work could have been carried out with violations. As a result, the cars became unusable much earlier than expected. At the same time, the final conclusions regarding the guilt of the defendants must be established by the court.
Three officials from one of the car-building plants were informed of suspicion; their actions are qualified as embezzlement of funds on an especially large scale (Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
“The railway is not just transport. It is the safety of people and critical logistics of the state, especially in war conditions. There are no “technical errors” here. There are conscious decisions, and there will be responsibility,” Kravchenko emphasized.
