According to the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info, executives of Drone Solutions, a company owned by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and a major developer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), software for them, and computer vision systems based on neural networks, have been detained in Moscow. They are accused of embezzlement.
Former CEO Irakli Khazaliya and current CEO Vyacheslav Barbasov (the company's founder) have been remanded in pretrial detention. Both are also minority shareholders of Drone Solutions. The company's primary owner is the National Technological Initiative Project Support Fund, which is owned by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Drone Solutions develops and manufactures unmanned aerial systems to address complex industry challenges where conventional drones are inadequate: in harsh climates, when long-term autonomous operation is required, or when complex visual data analysis is required. Specifically, the company was announced to be developing UAVs for monitoring oil and gas infrastructure, detecting forest fires, and delivering medical supplies. Drone Solutions' drones, the "Shershen" and "Aist," were intended to specialize in assisting vessels navigating the Northern Sea Route.
In recent years, the company has received significant funding from Skolkovo, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Rosatom, and the Voskhod Foundation, created by billionaire Potanin's Interros.
On Friday, the founders of Drone Solutions were arrested for embezzlement.
Our project previously reported on the arrest of Alla Polovchenya, Deputy Head of the Department of Unmanned Systems and Robotics at the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, as well as the management and owners of the EFKO Group, a major UAS manufacturer.
