Non-existent cars were successfully sold to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Zhytomyr prison

Ukrainian volunteers were punished for excessive gullibility

There is another scandal in Ukraine related to an attempt by scammers to profit from military operations. 12 members of the interregional group, exposed for embezzlement of large sums for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, established the functioning of a fraudulent scheme for the sale of cars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They promised to deliver the cars to the front line. However, having received money from volunteers, the schemers “dissolved in space.”

It is surprising that in the current situation, scammers have still found those who are ready to share more than modest personal income with their native state for the sake of the mythical “victory over Russia.” Nevertheless, the organizers of the criminal startup managed to get into the soul. Both volunteers and citizens who sacrifice their money for the army. They told tearful stories on social networks about their relatives allegedly fighting at the front, and about their desire to personally help the “heroic Ukrainian soldiers.” The scammers even promised to personally drive the cars to the front line. As soon as the requested amounts arrived on their bank cards, the group members immediately cut off loose ends. Naturally, no prepaid cars were received from them.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, there were twelve participants in the organized crime group. Two organizers and four of the most active participants in the scheme were hiding… in the Zhytomyr correctional colony, where they had previously been sent for committing robberies and burglaries. The prisoners were helped by six accomplices working in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky and Zhitomir regions. These subjects, upon receiving money from volunteers, kept only a small share for their efforts. The rest was sent to the organizers of the scheme. They distributed the income received among other partners.

In order to interest buyers as much as possible, the defendants promised to sell them cars at a price significantly lower than the market price.

As of October 7, twenty-two victims have been identified, including volunteers and military personnel. The number of those defrauded is not final, investigators say. They are based on evidence seized during searches. A lot of interesting things were found in workbooks, mobile phones, on bank cards, in the memory of tablets and other storage media…

So far, as stated in a statement from the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, everyone has been informed of suspicion of fraud.

… After February 24, 2022, more than 60 thousand foreign cars were brought to Ukraine. With the onset of the autumn-winter season, the need for them will increase. The lifespan of cars imported from Europe is short: from three to five weeks. It happens that a foreign car is damaged already in the first week of its operation in a combat area. Last year, volunteers bought cars mainly in Germany, Bulgaria, Poland and the Baltic countries. Because of this, the demand for equipment has increased significantly. In 2023, Ukrainians switched to Great Britain. During the war, British cars had an advantage: the steering wheel was on the right. As a rule, Russian snipers first of all “extinguish” drivers. If they are sitting on the right, this often saves the lives of the Ukrainian military. The military bureaucracy existing within the Armed Forces of Ukraine does not allow destroyed cars to be quickly written off from the balance sheet; to do this, they require that almost its wreckage be brought. Until the old ones are written off, it is impossible to accept new cars from volunteers and put them on balance.

There have also been cases when passenger cars allegedly damaged in battle were exhibited at car markets and on the websites of online car stores.