In November 2023, the NABU and the SAPO exposed an organized group comprising the leadership of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (Special Communications), which had misappropriated over UAH 62 million in state funds.

The investigation established that during 2020–2022, Roman Koval (whom the prosecution considers the organizer of the scheme), in collusion with the Special Communications leadership, devised a scheme to misappropriate budget funds allocated for the procurement of equipment and software.

To this end, they engaged two controlled companies and classified the procurement in order to avoid open bidding and secure these companies' victory. The state enterprise subordinate to the Special Communications concluded contracts with these companies for the supply of the relevant software and services and, in 2021–2022, transferred over UAH 285 million to them. The real value of the software, however, was UAH 223 million, and the remaining UAH 62 million was misappropriated by the participants in the offense. These funds were siphoned off to the accounts of controlled companies abroad, laundered, and divided among the members of the organized group.

Those involved in the criminal scheme include:

• Roman Koval, owner of a group of companies (the organizer of the scheme, according to the investigation);
• Yurii Shchyhol, head of the Special Communications;
• Viktor Zhora, former deputy head of the Special Communications;
• Artur Vitrenko, former director of the State Enterprise Ukrainian Special Systems;
• Yurii Maistruk, deputy head of the center for the implementation of technical and software solutions;
• Zoia Perepylytsia — since April 2026, the materials of her criminal proceedings have been joined with those of Yurii Shchyhol's case. As the defendant reported, she is in Hungary for the medical treatment of her minor child, whom she is raising alone and therefore cannot leave in anyone else's care.

Their actions were classified under Article 191(5) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

What is known about Yurii Shchyhol?

Yurii Shchyhol headed the Special Communications from July 2020. He worked on the Army of Drones state program to supply Ukrainian troops with drones, launched in July 2022 by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Special Communications, the General Staff, and the United24 project. From 2008 until his appointment as head of the Special Communications, he built his career in operational and managerial positions at the SSU.

On November 30, 2023, an HACC investigating judge placed Yurii Shchyhol's cryptocurrency under seizure. During a search, investigators found 1.2 million units of Tether USDT (worth $1.2 million at the time of the exposure), 331 units of TRX ($35), and 6.9 bitcoins ($275,000) in the former head's possession. Shchyhol himself stated that neither these assets nor the crypto wallet belonged to him.