The Moscow Meshchansky District Court arrested Evgeny Lyashenko
The Moscow Meshchansky District Court arrested Evgeny Lyashenko, CEO of the Russian food conglomerate Efko, and several other executives and officials on charges of fraud and embezzlement related to a state-funded drone development program. The case involves allegations that funds meant for domestic drone production were misused to purchase and rebrand Chinese drones.
Consensus
- The Meshchansky District Court of Moscow arrested Evgeny Lyashenko, the CEO of Efko, on July 30, 2026.
- Lyashenko was detained on charges of fraud and embezzlement under parts 4 of Articles 159 and 160 of the Russian Criminal Code.
- The court also previously arrested Valery Kustov, the chairman of the board of directors and major shareholder of Efko.
- Other individuals arrested include Ekaterina Kustova, Vladislav Romanцев, and Alla Polovchenya.
- The case is linked to a state-funded drone program involving the company 'Transport Future' and allegations of misusing subsidies by purchasing Chinese drones and rebranding them.
- The investigation is being conducted by the Investigative Department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- The court has set a two-month detention period for Lyashenko and others.
- Efko is a major Russian food producer, known for brands such as 'Sloboda', Altero, and DeOlio.
Points of divergence
- The court's decision was based on the fact that the defendants allegedly misrepresented Chinese drones as domestic products. — fontanka
- The court did not provide details about the criminal case during the hearing. — interfax
- The court did not allow media representatives to attend the hearing or receive the ruling without explanation. — kommerant
- The company emphasized that the detained employees had made significant contributions to the development of biotechnology and food security in Russia. — vedomosti
- The court's press service stated that Lyashenko was charged with embezzlement and fraud, but did not mention the drone program or Chinese drones. — riamo
- The court arrested Valery Kustov specifically for large-scale fraud, with no mention of other individuals or the drone program. — tg_tass_agency
- The company confirmed the arrests but did not specify the nature of the alleged fraud. — tg_sotavisionmedia
Coverage (18 sources)
- In Moscow, the general director of 'Efco' Yevgeny Lyashenko was arrested — РИАМО
- CEO of the "Efco" company group Lyashenko arrested and will be sent to a pretrial detention center — Вести
- The court has detained the CEO of 'Efko' Lyashenko on charges of fraud — Ведомости
- Confused Chinese drones for their own. The Moscow court detained the CEO of 'Efko' — Фонтанка
- Court arrested Efko Board Chairman Valery Kustov — РИАМО
- CEO of 'Efco' arrested on charges of embezzlement — Интерфакс
- Head of the Board of Directors of "Efco" Kustov arrested on charges of embezzlement — Интерфакс
- ⚖️ Court in Moscow arrested head of 'Efco' board of directors Kustov on case of especially large fraud, reports korres... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- В Москве задержали основного держателя акций «Эфко» и миллиардера Кустова — РИАМО
- Court arrested head of «Efco» board Valery Kustov on charges of drone fraud — Фонтанка
- Суд арестовал главу совета директоров «Эфко» Кустова — Ведомости
- Kustov, main shareholder of Belgorod LLC "Eko", arrested on fraud case — Коммерсантъ
- Kustov, Chairman of EFKO Board of Directors, Arrested in Case of Embezzlement — Ведомости
- В Москве задержали топ-менеджеров одного из крупнейших продуктовых холдингов «Эфко» — SOTAvision
- Head of the Board of Directors and General Director of "EFCO" detained in the case of embezzlement — Интерфакс
- РБК: В Москве задержали председателя совета директоров холдинга «Эфко» Кустова — Вечерняя Москва
- Top managers of EFK Group arrested in fraud case — Вести
- Топ-менеджеры компании "Эфко" арестованы по подозрению в хищении — Интерфакс
Key entities
- Moscow
- EFK
- Valeriy Kustov
- Evgeny Lyashenko
- Meshchansky District Court
- Interfax
- Russia
- Vladislav Romantsev
- EFKO Group
- INTERFAX.RU
- EFKO Group
- Meshchansky Court
More on Valeriy Kustov
- Previously, the court detained Ekaterina Kustova
- Moscow's Meshchansky Court has detained billionaire Valery Kustov
- Simultaneously with the detention of the official, Ekaterina Kustova
More on Evgeny Lyashenko
- Moscow's Meshchansky Court has detained billionaire Valery Kustov
- RBC: Billionaire and CEO of 'Eko' detained in a fraud case related…