Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) confirmed that the honorary president of the Motor Sich aerospace giant Viacheslav Bohuslaiev and the Head of its Department of Foreign Economic Activity have been detained on suspicion of treason. In a press release, the agency said that they are suspected of collaboration and aiding the aggressor state, namely — of illegally supplying military goods for Russian attack aircraft.
According to the investigation, these officials acted in collusion with representatives of the Russian corporation Rostec, which is one of the main producers of weapons for the Russian armed forces.
The offenders established transnational channels of illegal supply of wholesale consignments of Ukrainian aircraft engines to the aggressor country.
The products were used by the occupiers for the production and repair of Russian attack helicopters such as:
- Mi-8AMTSh-VN “Sapsan”;
- KA-52 “Alligator”;
- Mi-28N “Night Hunter”.
The SBU established that the relevant models of army aviation were massively used by the invaders in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: these combat helicopters were downed by the Ukrainian Army en masse.
To circumvent the established restrictions on trade with Russia, the organizers of the scheme used controlled commercial structures in three countries of the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia. These companies sent “orders” to the Ukrainian manufacturer allegedly for the needs of a foreign party.
However, after receiving the military products, the “intermediaries” forwarded them to Russia. The enemy also used its foreign accomplices to repair and maintain its own aircraft using Ukrainian spare parts.
It is noted that in the course of the investigation, the SBU officers identified all the organizers of the deals, documented their criminal actions, and are taking comprehensive measures to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The SBU has also publishedphone calls that prove treason of the arrested Motor Sich president: