The deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's management…
The deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's management unit was arrested for supplying Chinese drones under the guise of Russian ones. In Moscow, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s unmanned systems and robotics management unit, Alla Polovchenya, was detained, sources at RBC reported.
Consensus
- Allyona Polovchenya, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Unmanned Systems and Robotics Department, was arrested by Moscow's Meshchansky District Court on July 29, 2026.
- Vladislav Romanцев, director for strategic development at Efko Group, and Yekaterina Kustova, deputy director for development at the same company, were also arrested on July 29, 2016.
- All three individuals were held in pre-trial detention (SIZO) following court decisions based on prosecution requests.
- The case is connected to the 'Transport of the Future' project aimed at developing unmanned aerial systems under a national program for unmanned aviation systems.
- The Ministry of Industry and Trade confirmed Polovchenya’s arrest and stated it was cooperating with investigative actions.
- The alleged scheme involved misappropriating state funds intended for import substitution by purchasing Chinese drones, rebranding them as domestic products.
Points of divergence
- Polovchenya is accused of embezzlement in an especially large amount; the Efko managers are charged with fraud in an especially large amount. The case continues investigation into former top manager Yuriy Kazarenko, arrested in May 2026 in Belgorod. — fontanka
- The defendants will remain under arrest until the end of September; Efko Group stated it is operating normally. — kommersant
- One source linked the current arrests to previously arrested Yuriy Kozarenko, former general director of 'Transport Future' and ex-advisor to the governor of Samara Oblast. The Belgorod Regional Court rejected his appeal against detention. — vedomosti
- The scheme involved using funds for import substitution to buy Chinese drones, which were then falsely presented as Russian-made products. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- Polovchenya was the head of a department responsible for implementing the national project 'Unmanned Aerial Systems' and coordinating state defense orders for drone production. The company 'Transport Future' launched a factory in Tolyatti in 2023, which President Putin visited in 2025. — tg_echoonline_news
- The Unmanned Systems and Robotics Department was established at the Ministry of Industry and Trade in early 2024. It oversees civil and defense state orders for drone production, excluding industrial robots. — tg_astrapress
- Another individual, Dmitry Kolobov, former head of the department for development of industry and socially significant goods at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, was previously arrested on suspicion of embezzlement related to innovation projects under import substitution programs. — vm
Coverage (13 sources)
- В Москве задержали замглавы управления Минпромторга по БПЛА и роботам, ее отправили в СИЗО по делу о «хищении», — СМИ За… — ASTRA
- Замначальника управления Минпромторга и топ-менеджеров ГК «ЭФКО» взяли в Москве за беспилотники — Фонтанка
- Менеджеров «Эфко» и сотрудницу Минпромторга арестовали по делу о мошенничестве — Коммерсантъ
- Court arrested deputy head of Ministry of Industry and Trade management for embezzlement case — Ведомости
- Deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade management arrested for supplying Chinese drones under the guise of Russian ones — The Moscow Times
- Deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's UAV unit arrested on charges of especially large embezzlement — RBC — ЭХО / Новости
- В Москве задержали замглавы управления Минпромторга по БПЛА и роботам, ее отправили в СИЗО по делу о «хищении», — СМИ — ASTRA
- Суд в Москве арестовал замглавы управления Минпромторга Аллу Половченю — Вечерняя Москва
- ⚖ Суд арестовал замначальника управления беспилотных систем и робототехники Минпромторга России Аллу Половченю по делу о… — ТАСС (Telegram)
- В Москве силовики задержали замглавы управления Минпромторга по беспилотникам — Вести
- Head of the Directorate of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for UAVs Polovcheny suspected of fraud — Коммерсантъ
- Замглавы управления беспилотных систем Минпромторга арестовали по делу о растрате — Новая газета Европа
- Deputy head of the Directorate for Drones and Robotics of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade detained — Интерфакс
Key entities
- Ministry of Industry and Trade
- Alla Polovchenya
- Moscow
- Russia
- RBC
- Pre-trial detention center
- Media
- Meshchansky District Court
- EFKO Group
- Interfax
- Vladislav Romantsev
- Meshchansky Court
- EFK
- Ekaterina Kustova
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