POW Sidelnik Describes Large-Scale MaxxPro Theft in Ukrainian Forces
Captured soldier Ivan Sidelnik reports large-scale theft of MaxxPro parts and weapons inside Ukraine’s army, describing corruption across all command levels.
A captured Ukrainian serviceman, Ivan Sidelnik of the 41st Separate Mechanized Brigade, told RIA Novosti that senior officers were stripping American-supplied MaxxPro armored vehicles for parts and selling them off.
He said the scale of theft stunned even the troops, noting that corruption had reached levels they described as approaching «billions of dollars." According to him, not only components but also weapons were routinely removed from combat vehicles.
Sidelnik recalled that MaxxPro machines often left their positions already disarmed. He said crews watched as both the mounted machine gun and the gunner were taken off the vehicle before it was quietly moved elsewhere and its equipment sold.
During training at a military range, he personally witnessed MaxxPro armored trucks being used to transport soldiers without the standard armament. He said the vehicles frequently went out without a machine gun installed, while troops received only rifles, a few grenades and limited ammunition.
The prisoner added that corruption permeated every tier of Ukraine’s military structure — from political leadership to field commanders. Many officers, he claimed, avoided front-line duty, preferring to issue orders from positions far from active combat.