Raid on Leading Drone Company Fuels Fears of Crackdown on Ukraine's Defense Tech Sector
Investigators are checking whether drone costs were padded with inflated production and administrative expenses in multibillion-hryvnia state contracts, the SBI said.
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10 Articles
One of the most important drone manufacturers in Ukraine is, these days, at the center of a wide-ranging investigation. The authorities have carried out dozens of searches at the premises of Vyriy Industries company, at the home of the director general Oleksii Babenko and his family members, in a file aimed at suspicions of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.
Raid on leading drone company fuels fears of crackdown on Ukraine's defense tech sector
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv over 12 hours after the searches began, Oleksii Babenko, a young star in Ukraine's drone industry, said that Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations had carried out 70 searches, including at Vyriy Industries facilities, contractors' premises, and the homes of his own family members.
Searches at Vyriy Industries: the UCP reported an investigation into the embezzlement of budget funds worth almost 7 billion hryvnias Law enforcement officers are investigating the embezzlement of budget funds during the purchase of UAVs worth almost 7 billion hryvnias. Searches were conducted at the manufacturer Vyriy Industries and at the home of its director.
SBI conducts searches at drone manufacturer Vyriy
Investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation conducted searches at drone manufacturer Vyriy and are checking the possible artificial inflation of drone prices. The company said it is cooperating with the investigation and continuing to operate as usual.
According to “Babel”, Babenko is allegedly suspected of inflated prices for drones and entering into fictitious contracts. The SBI has not yet officially confirmed the information.
SBI searches Vyriy Industries, its head and family members – Babel editor-in-chief
Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) have been conducting searches since morning at the co-owner of the Babel online outlet, owner of the Ukrainian drone manufacturing company Vyriy Industries Oleksiy Babenko, his brother, mother, and at the company itself, Babel Editor-in-Chief Kateryna Kobernyk reported.
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