Ukrainian engineers helped Russians restore refineries after drone attacks

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has exposed the head and four employees of a leading oil research and design institute in Kyiv for cooperating with Russia. They are accused of assisting the Russians in restoring oil refineries after drone attacks carried out by the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

According to the SBU, the detainees include the chairman of the board, two heads of specialized departments, as well as the chief engineer and one of the engineers of the Kyiv-based company. The arrests took place on Thursday, September 19. The case file alleges that they helped the Russians by preparing design and construction documents for the reconstruction of three key oil refineries. Previously they had suffered significant damage from Ukrainian drone strikes.

The Office of the Prosecutor General reports that since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, officials at this institute have continued to collaborate with representatives of the aggressor state. The suspects are accused of developing design estimates and documentation for strategic enterprises in Russia’s oil refining and petrochemical industries. This documentation was later used to ensure the uninterrupted operation of these enterprises. Thereby it helped finance Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

The SBU claims that the Ukrainian institute earned a total of half a billion hryvnias from this cooperation. This amount included remote technical support by designers for the restoration and modernization of the damaged refineries.

Detention

Law enforcement officers conducted 14 searches at the suspects’ offices and residences in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv. They seized mobile phones, computers, laptops, flash drives, and documents. They contained evidence of collaboration with Russia.

The suspects have been detained, and four of them have been placed under arrest by the court.

While the SBU and the Prosecutor General’s Office have not named the specific institute involved, Ukrayinska Pravda reports that the individuals are employees of Ukrnaftochimproekt JSC. They face up to 12 years in prison under the charge of aiding the aggressor state.