Criminal network resold stolen drones to the Ukrainian army as new equipment

Law enforcement agencies uncovered a large-scale criminal scheme in which participants stole unmanned aerial vehicles from military units and returned them to the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the guise of new equipment.

Investigation details and participants' roles

The results of the joint operation were announced by Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalskyi. According to him, law enforcement officers detained 16 suspects, established 25 episodes of criminal activity and seized over 600 drones.

«Маємо масштабний результат спільної роботи: 16 підозрюваних, 25 встановлених епізодів та понад 600 вилучених безпілотників. Організував схему колишній військовослужбовець. До неї залучив військових, цивільних посередників і комерційні підприємства» (We have a large-scale result of joint work: 16 suspects, 25 established episodes and over 600 seized drones. A former serviceman organised the scheme. He involved military personnel, civilian intermediaries and commercial enterprises), Kovalskyi emphasised.

Members of the group sought out servicemen who, for a financial reward, agreed to hand over drones from military units. To coordinate their actions, the criminals created a separate Telegram channel. According to the State Border Guard Service, this network likely operated at least since December 2025.

Criminal mechanism: from theft to resale

The stolen equipment was transported to a workshop located in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. There, specialists from the criminal group removed factory serial numbers, altered markings and QR codes. Subsequently, through controlled commercial structures, these same drones were resupplied to military units, formally passing as a new purchase.

To establish the full scale of the scheme, investigators conducted over 100 searches in nine oblasts and Kyiv. Among the seized drones, over 200 units have already been identified as property belonging to military units. The origin of the remaining equipment is currently being verified.

Financial losses and seized funds

According to prosecutors' estimates, the value of the stolen military property is approximately 16 million UAH. During the searches, law enforcement officers also seized significant assets: 13 million UAH, 400,000 US dollars, precious metals (gold and silver), valuables and 15 cars.

Preventive measures and next steps

At the prosecutor's request, the organiser and two co-organisers were given preventive measures in the form of detention. Each of them may be released on bail in the amount of 9,980,000 UAH. Other suspects were also given detention with the possibility of posting bail, the amount of which ranges from 832,000 UAH to 6 million UAH.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation are establishing the full extent of the illegally alienated property, searching for other channels of its sale and verifying the involvement of military officials in the scheme. Particular attention is being paid to documenting the flow of budget funds and identifying all military units that may have received previously misappropriated drones.