BRDM-2 loaded with explosives offered for the price of an old car: military equipment was put up for sale for $8,000
The serial number was erased, the transporter prepared, and a buyer found: what was missing to sell the armored vehicle?
On October 30, 2026, the State Bureau of Investigation announced that it had thwarted the illegal sale of military property. SBI officers detained two suspects and seized an BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicle and explosives with a yield of approximately 300 kg of TNT equivalent.
According to the bureau, one of those detained is a former deputy commander of one of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s mechanized brigades. Investigators believe that the lieutenant colonel illegally took possession of the armored vehicle and concealed it on the premises of a military unit. He also planned to sell explosives. The man later found a potential buyer and agreed to sell the BRDM-2 along with the explosives for US$8,000.
To conceal the military vehicle’s origins, its factory serial number was destroyed before the sale. The lieutenant colonel instructed his accomplice to hand over the property to the buyer. According to investigators, during the night, the accomplice drove the vehicle out of its hiding place and took it to a wooded area in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. A specialized lowboy trailer was already waiting there to transport the BRDM-2.
However, the deal was not completed. SBI officers detained the intermediary as he received the agreed US$8,000. Law enforcement officers also seized the armored vehicle and explosives at the scene. The former brigade deputy commander was detained later. Both suspects were notified that they are suspected of stealing military property as part of a prior conspiracy by a group of individuals under martial law. The charge falls under Part 4 of Article 410 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The article carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. The issue of placing the suspects in pre-trial detention is currently being considered.
We previously reported:
- Man in Mykolaiv sells a grenade launcher, an F-1 grenade body, and a detonator
- Arsenal for sale: Two men in Mykolaiv Oblast sell grenades, TNT, and grenade launchers
- An assault rifle, a pistol, and 150 rounds: Another “arms baron” exposed in Mykolaiv
- Grenades and ammunition sold for cash: “Merchant of death” exposed in Mykolaiv Oblast
- “Trophies”: Group accused of selling an arsenal of enemy weapons to stand trial in Mykolaiv Oblast
