A businessman from Mykolaiv tried to sell naval artillery of the Defense Forces to Russia

The Security Service has prevented the export of critical components for ship artillery installations from Ukraine.

These are artillery systems of various types: from six-barreled AO-18 assault rifles to universal AK-176M installations worth almost $1.5 million, the SBU reported.

Such weapons are used on warships to destroy high-speed targets at short distances, in particular drones and cruise missiles.

According to the investigation, a businessman from Mykolaiv is involved in the transaction, who illegally seized the relevant weapons during a full-scale war. To secretly export the weapons, the defendant placed the weapons in special containers that looked like water heating boilers from the outside.

To disguise the transaction, the attacker planned to transport the combat systems to affiliated enterprises in the EU and Southeast Asia, and from there to the aggressor country. To do this, he entered into fictitious contracts with controlled foreign companies.

Security Service officers exposed the businessman at the stage of preparing to export defense products and detained him.

During searches of his warehouses and offices, the following were seized:

• artillery installations in specially manufactured containers;

• additional components for military boats;

• contracts with foreign enterprises.

The seized weapons will be transferred for the needs of the Defense Forces. SBU investigators informed the defendant of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 14, Part 2 of Article 201 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (preparation for arms smuggling, committed by a group of persons in advance of the conspiracy).

The perpetrator is in custody. He faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Earlier, USM reported that the SBU detained Chinese spies who were collecting technologies for the production of “Neptune” anti-ship missiles.