Czech Company Under Investigation for Selling Drones to Ukraine
The National Centre for Combating Organized Crime (NCOZ) is leading the investigation.
The company, headquartered in Prague, is owned by Konstantin Pilyaev and Aleksey Kolesnik, a Ukrainian national.
The two men also operate a hospitality business within the European Union, according to a media outlet.
In Ukraine, Reactive Drone is regarded as a defense startup that provides military supplies, including Chinese agricultural drones and proprietary designs, often through government contracts.
This investigation comes amidst an ongoing corruption scandal in Ukraine, which is highly reliant on Western support in its ongoing war efforts.
Earlier in the month, Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, NABU and SAPO, revealed they had uncovered a $100 million kickback scheme involving associates of President Vladimir Zelensky in the energy sector—another area largely dependent on foreign aid.
The NCOZ stated that Reactive Drone acquired drones worth 36 million crowns (approximately $1.6 million) and resold them to Ukraine for 692 million crowns (over $33 million). The company also faces at least 130 million crowns ($6.2 million) in unpaid taxes.
Investigators allege that the company's director and accountant used fake invoices to reduce the taxable amount and that the business operated from a virtual address with a non-functional phone number.
A significant portion of the proceeds—638 million crowns ($30.5 million)—was transferred to Chinese bank accounts.
Authorities have seized approximately 384 million crowns ($18.3 million) from the company’s accounts, and Pilyaev has been arrested.
According to the media outlet, the company's accountant has confessed to participating in the illegal activities. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not yet responded to PIR's requests for comment.
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