Organizer of drone fraud scheme for AFU extradited from UAE to Ukraine
As reported by Ukrinform, this was announced by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (OPG).
“Thanks to coordinated efforts between Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and the competent authorities of the United Arab Emirates, a suspect in organizing a large-scale fraud scheme involving the sale of quadcopters and related components, allegedly for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has been extradited to Ukraine,” the statement reads.
According to a pre-trial investigation led by the Prosecutor General's Office, from June to October 2023, an organized group of individuals set up a scheme of systematic fraud. Exploiting the high demand for aerial reconnaissance technology for the Ukrainian military, the conspirators fraudulently obtained funds from citizens and donors under the pretense of selling drones.
The investigation identified 108 victims in 99 criminal episodes, with total damages exceeding 50 million UAH.
In February 2024, prosecutors charged three individuals under Part 5 of Article 190 (large-scale fraud) and Part 3 of Article 209 (money laundering) of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. At the prosecution's request, one suspect was taken into custody, another was placed under 24-hour house arrest, and the scheme's organizer was declared internationally wanted.
In June 2025, she was arrested in the UAE and has now been extradited to Ukraine to face criminal prosecution.
Prosecutors have already referred the indictments of two accomplices to court. The case against the organizer has been separated into a standalone criminal proceeding.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, individuals from Azerbaijan and Georgia suspected of establishing a channel for smuggling counterfeit U.S. dollars through temporarily occupied Crimea into mainland Ukraine were extradited from Germany.
Photo: Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine
