“Ukrzaliznytsia” has already appeared in investigations by NABU and SAP in connection with possible abuses in public procurement. In particular, anti-corruption authorities reported a scheme involving the purchase of paints and linoleum, due to which the company suffered losses amounting to more than UAH 15 million. Now NABU and SAPO have sent to court an indictment against the organizers of the “back office” of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC, including former adviser to the president’s office and ex-SBU official Artem Shilo, an entrepreneur and two other people. The group organized schemes for the purchase of cable and wire products and power transformers, causing losses to the company in excess of UAH 240 million. This was reported by the press services of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

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NABU and SAPO submitted to the court an indictment against the organizers of the so-called “back office” of the Ukrzaliznytsia company. We are talking about a former adviser to the president’s office, who also served as first deputy head of the department of the Security Service of Ukraine, an entrepreneur and two other persons. As Ukrayinska Pravda notes, the former adviser to the president’s office and SBU official mentioned in the message is Artem Shilo. They are accused of misappropriating public funds during the purchase of cables and transformers, as well as laundering illegally obtained income..

The first episode concerns the procurement of cable and wire products. According to the investigation, in 2021, a people's deputy of Ukraine and his accomplice, an entrepreneur, developed a scheme for supplying products to Ukrzaliznytsia at inflated prices.

“To do this, they created an organized group and entered into a conspiracy with members of another organized group, which, in particular, included an official of Ukrzaliznytsia.”. Acting as a kind of “back office” of the company, members of the second organized group informally controlled its activities and could, for a certain percentage of the purchase amount, ensure the victory of companies controlled by the entrepreneur in them,” NABU notes..

During 2021–2022, such companies won Ukrzaliznytsia tenders for the supply of cable and wire products. With the assistance of company officials, they coordinated their actions and inflated the expected cost of products in various ways..

“Thus, Ukrzaliznytsia entered into agreements with controlled enterprises that supplied products at prices higher than market prices.. As a result of the implementation of the scheme, Ukrzaliznytsia suffered losses amounting to more than UAH 140 million, which the participants in the crime took possession of and disposed of at their own discretion,” NABU emphasizes.

The second episode concerns the procurement of power transformers in June–December 2022. The investigation established that representatives of the Ukrzaliznytsia “back office” selected and ensured the victory of a company controlled by a citizen of Belarus. Transformers had to be supplied at an inflated price.

“The group leader organized the preparation and sending to UZ of a letter from the Security Service of Ukraine “On threats to state security,” which became the basis for rejecting proposals from other procurement participants with significantly more favorable price conditions. However, the real threat was that he ignored the citizenship of the company’s controller and his connections with the Russian Federation,” NABU said.

After this, the company, through an intermediary company registered in Bulgaria, purchased transformers directly from the manufacturer in Uzbekistan. Then the equipment was resold to Ukrzaliznytsia at a price that, according to law enforcement officials, was artificially inflated by almost double. As a result of this scheme, during 2022–2024 the company suffered losses of almost UAH 100 million.

" Legalization. Organizers of the “back office” of UZ during 2021–2023. laundered funds obtained as a result of corruption schemes. In particular, they legalized UAH 12 million received from fraud in the purchase of cable and wire products for the needs of society,” NABU said.

Another more than 173 million UAH, which, according to investigators, were received from criminal schemes, was used by the organizer of the “back office” to purchase luxury real estate. We are talking about penthouses, apartments, residential buildings and commercial properties. This property was registered in the name of controlled persons.

Some of the defendants in related episodes have already been brought to court earlier. On March 4, 2026, NABU and SAPO sent an indictment against five people who are accused of embezzling Ukrzaliznytsya funds during the purchase of cable and wire products.

“On March 9, 2026, 4 participants in the transaction with transformers appeared in court. In total, there are currently 8 defendants in the case and 7 persons against whom the court has rendered guilty verdicts,” NABU summed up.

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We would like to remind you that Artem Shilo was already involved in the case of possible fraud in the procurement of equipment for Ukrzaliznytsya..

In April 2024, VAKS sent him to a pre-trial detention center for two months, setting bail at UAH 30 million. At that time, NABU and SAPO reported suspicion to seven members of an organized group, which, according to investigators, was led by Shilo. It was about the misappropriation of UAH 94.8 million in funds from Ukrzaliznytsia, as well as a separate suspicion regarding UAH 117 million in the purchase of cables. The court also arrested UAH 53 million in the accounts of the supplier company.