A senior Ukrainian Defense Ministry official has been arrested for embezzling about 36 million euros intended to buy artillery shells, authorities said Friday, as the war-torn country faces a shortage of ammunition.

According to the prosecutor’s office, this high-ranking official, whose identity has not been disclosed, is accused of “organizing a system of embezzlement of budget funds during the conclusion of public procurement” in the amount of 1.5 billion hryvnias.

These actions related to the purchase of artillery shells for the armed forces at inflated prices, the agency’s press release said.

“The director of one of the main services of the Ministry of Defense has been taken into custody,” the prosecutor’s office also stated, according to which the searches conducted by the special services at the place of residence of the persons involved allowed “the discovery of documents confirming illegal activities.

“The newly created Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense later concluded a more profitable contract for the supply of the same artillery shells with the same manufacturer,” reports “Ukrainian Pravda” with reference to the prosecutor’s office.

Several corruption scandals prevalent in Ukraine have shaken Ukrainian officials in recent months, especially in the army and the Ministry of Defense.

In particular, investigations have been opened into the supply of substandard ammunition and body armor or the purchase of food and uniforms for soldiers at inflated prices, as well as cyber security software.

In early August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired all regional officials responsible for conscription to crack down on a corrupt system that allows conscripts to flee the army.

The fight against corruption, an endemic evil in the country, is one of the criteria set by the EU to consider the candidacy of Ukraine, which has received tens of billions of euros in Western aid since the beginning of the war.