Russian Official Arrested in Multi-Billion Drone Fraud Investigation

Russian authorities have arrested a senior Industry Ministry official as part of a major investigation into alleged fraud involving Chinese drones reportedly presented as Russian-made developments. Deputy head of the Department for Unmanned Systems and Robotics at Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade, Alla Polovchenya, has been detained in Moscow. The ministry's press service confirmed that the arrest took place on July 29. A criminal case has been opened against her under Part 4 of Article 160 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Embezzlement on an Especially Large Scale"). She has been placed in pre-trial detention.