Phantom plane for Peru: Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reveals Russian fraud
hoto: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (Getty Images)
Peru canceled a $63 million tender for the purchase of An-74 aircraft after a large-scale Russian fraud was uncovered. Russia reportedly tried to sell a "phantom plane" through a shell company, stated Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
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The scheme was halted thanks to joint efforts by Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the state enterprise Antonov.
Investigations found that a UAE-based company participating in the tender was actually affiliated with Russia and used forged documents.
"Thanks to the efforts of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the state enterprise Antonov, a UAE-based shell company affiliated with Russia was exposed. Russian operatives tried to sell a 'phantom plane' using forged documents," Sybiha said.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized that such incidents highlight the importance of vetting partners and cooperating directly with official representatives of Ukraine’s aviation industry.
"Ukraine is a reliable partner. We value the trust of Latin American and Caribbean countries and urge them to work only with official manufacturers," Sybiha emphasized.
Other statements by Sybiha
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister also stressed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin should be denied any attempts to shape a new nuclear security framework after the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expires.
He emphasized that Russia violated the treaty and withdrew from it in 2023, and that Putin is now using it as a tool of nuclear blackmail to undermine international support for Ukraine.
Sybiha also noted that in the war against Ukraine, Russia is failing in its war against Ukraine both on the battlefield and in its economy.
In 2025 alone, Russia lost 480,000 soldiers (killed and wounded), while the pace of occupation of Ukrainian territory remains minimal — only an additional 0.7%.
