Ukrainian commander accused of stealing and selling army drones online
Law enforcement officers have uncovered an interregional scheme of misappropriation and sale of unmanned aerial vehicles that were supposed to be transferred to the military under the state “Army of Drones” project. According to the investigation, a commander of a unit in one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces military units is involved, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported.
According to the investigation, since November 2024 the serviceman organized a systematic scheme of illegally writing off drones that were used on the front line. The scheme operated in several regions at once, covering Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and other oblasts of Ukraine.
After the drones were written off the books, they were handed over to civilian accomplices for sale. The equipment was sold online using anonymous accounts. The UAVs were stored in residential and utility premises, as well as in post office branches.
According to law enforcement, the suspects may have misappropriated more than 343 drones of various types. The total value of the property exceeds 15.2 million hryvnias ($346,200).
In addition, the prosecutor’s office believes that the proceeds were likely used to purchase real estate, vehicles, and jewelry.
At the same time, the investigation established that the unit commander involved in the case acquired assets worth more than 10.7 million hryvnias ($243,700) during 2025. According to law enforcement, to conceal the origin of the property, he registered the real estate and vehicles in the name of his wife and mother.
During searches at the serviceman’s premises, investigators seized DJI Matrice 4T and DJI Mavic 4 Pro quadcopters, drone bodies with documents, cars, more than 1.4 million hryvnias ($32,000) in cash, and documents for real estate.
The actions of the suspects are qualified under Part 4 of Article 410 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — misappropriation of military property under martial law. The unit commander was also notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for illegal enrichment.
Law enforcement is currently establishing the full circle of involved persons, including other servicemen.