One senior executive of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was arrested for abuse approximately 36 million euros which were intended to buy artillery shells, authorities said today, as the country faces ammunition shortages in its war with Russia.

According to prosecutors, this executive, who has not been named, is accused of “organizing a scheme of abuse” when public offers were made, managing to obtain 1.5 billion hryvnias.

The case concerned the purchase of shells for the armed forces, at inflated prices.

“The director of one of the most basic services of the Ministry of Defense was taken into custody,” added the prosecutor’s office. From the search carried out at his house, “documents confirming his illegal activity” were found, according to the announcement.

Many corruption scandals have been revealed in Ukraine in recent months, mainly within the army and the Ministry of Defence. For example, investigations are carried out for the purchase of ammunition and bulletproof vests of poor quality or for the purchase, at inflated prices, of food and uniforms for the soldiers. In early August, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy fired all the heads of local recruitment offices to stamp out an extensive network of corruption that allowed recruits to avoid conscription.