The Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Sunday denied a report in which it is accused of inflating food prices for the military but announced an internal investigation to alleviate concerns.
«Information on the content of food services procurement, distributed in the public space, has been disseminated with signs of deliberate and misleading manipulation,» the Ministry has regretted in response to the report published by the weekly ‘Dzerkalo Tijnia’ (ZN), one of the most reputable in the country.
According to documents provided by the media, the Ukrainian Army was buying, for example, eggs at 17 grivnas per unit (0.43 euros) when they are sold on the street for 7 grivnas (0.18 euros) under an agreement for the provision of food valued at 13.6 billion grivnas, about 340 million euros for military units stationed in the regions of Poltava, Sumi, Kiev, Yitomir, Chernobyl or Cherkasi, far from the front.
In response, the Defense Ministry is preparing materials for the Security Service of Ukraine to investigate «dissemination of deliberately false information damaging defense interests in special (war) period,» said the message posted on its Telegram channel.
The department has also announced an internal audit. «Regarding episodes that acquire public resonance, regardless of the content and nature of the presentation of the information, an internal investigation is being conducted on this issue,» it added.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
