The head of Russia’s flagship Tula drone center is arrested on fraud charges
Yevgeny Grigoryev, the general director of TulaDron, a research and production center for unmanned aircraft systems, has been detained in Tula, the local news outlet Myslo reported, citing sources.
Yevgeny Grigoryev, the head of TulaDron, Russia's major drone research and production center, was arrested on August 14 on fraud charges, according to local news outlet Myslo. A court has ordered him held in pretrial detention for two months, citing charges under Part 4, Article 159 of Russia’s Criminal Code, which pertains to large-scale fraud.
The Telegram channel Mash, affiliated with Russia’s security services, also reported the arrest. TulaDron, launched in 2025 with plans to become one of the country’s top 10 drone facilities, was allocated 1 billion rubles for its development, including 678.5 million rubles from the federal budget. This arrest follows a series of recent drone manufacturer detentions in Russia, including billionaire Valery Kustov, chairman of the board and principal shareholder of the Efko group, who was arrested in late July on suspicion of large-scale fraud tied to the Transport of the Future project.
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