Kuzminsky District Court of Moscow on August 8 arrested Vyacheslav Barbasov, general director of the unmanned systems manufacturer Drone Solutions, and his predecessor in the post, Irakli Khazalia. They are charged under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code (fraud on an especially large scale), which carries up to ten years in prison.
Law enforcement agencies have not yet disclosed details of the case. Information about the detention measure was published in the court's database.
Drone Solutions was registered in Moscow in 2018. The company develops and produces unmanned aerial systems, software for them, and computer vision systems based on neural networks. According to the company's website, its drones can operate in virtually any climatic conditions; their applications include aerial monitoring of oil and gas infrastructure, surveillance of fire hotspots, and perimeter security.
About 40% of the company belongs to its head Barbasov, and about 23% to the National Technology Initiative Projects Support Fund (NTI Fund), whose founder's powers were transferred to Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2026. Khazalia also holds a minority stake.
Earlier, the arrest became known of Alla Polovchenya, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Department of Unmanned Systems and Robotics, as well as the management and owners of the Efko group, a major manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems. They are accused of fraud and embezzlement in connection with the implementation of the project to create the 'Transport of the Future' drones. The media linked the arrest of billionaire Valery Kustov, the main shareholder of the Efko group, to this project.