The defendants organized a large-scale scheme to embezzle property under martial law, which led to the complete cessation of hot water supply for almost half of the city - over 250 thousand residents, dozens of enterprises and critical infrastructure institutions. The amount of damage is almost 30 million hryvnias, official sites of both clubs report law enforcement officers
The criminal activity was exposed by investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the Police with the operational support of the Department for Ensuring Activities Related to Hazardous Materials under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office.
The police identified all the participants in the deal, along with the organizers — two former managers of one of the city's state-owned thermal power plants. Using their official positions, they created a hierarchical criminal organization of more than 10 participants.
Under the guise of “moving equipment to preserve it during martial law,” the attackers removed more than 1140 water heaters from strategic heating points to the closed territory of the enterprise. At night, using manipulators and oxygen cylinders for cutting metal, workers — members of the organization — dismantled brass tubes containing non-ferrous metals from the equipment. To hide the dismantling, the cavities of the water heaters were filled with foreign objects — in particular, clothes — and returned to their place, simulating their working condition. During inventories, the equipment was recorded as fully functional.
Criminal police officers established that the suspects sold dismantled pipes to local metal depots for cash, without preparing accounting documents and without radiation control as required by law. The funds received were distributed among the members of the organization.
So far, the police have documented more than 65 episodes of criminal activity. During searches of the places of residence of the suspects, mobile phones and other evidence were seized, confirming their involvement in illegal activities. 8 active participants of the criminal organization, together with the organizers, were detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. Two of their accomplices are abroad, they will be put on the international wanted list.
Based on the evidence collected, police investigators informed all ten members of the criminal organization of suspicion of creating and participating in a criminal organization (Part 3 of Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and organizing the embezzlement of state property on an especially large scale under martial law (Part 3 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The suspects face up to 13 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. The issue of choosing preventive measures in the form of detention for the suspect is being resolved, additional circumstances of the crime and other persons involved are being established.
