Russian authorities arrest a senior official in the Ministry of Industry and Trade as part of an investigation into alleged multi-billion-ruble fraud connected to drone procurement or production. The Moscow Times and PravdaReport both identify the detainee as Alla Polovchenya, who is deputy head of the ministry’s department for unmanned systems and robotics. PravdaReport says the arrest occurs in Moscow on July 29, while The Moscow Times reports it takes place on Wednesday and she is subsequently charged.
According to PravdaReport, prosecutors open a criminal case against her under Part 4 of Article 160 of the Russian Criminal Code, which concerns embezzlement on an especially large scale. She is placed in pre-trial detention. PravdaReport further says the alleged scheme involves Chinese drones that are reportedly presented as Russian-made developments, forming the basis of the investigation into the alleged fraud.
Both accounts describe the detention and charging of the same official tied to a drone-related case, without providing additional details about the evidence, the scope of alleged losses, or the broader involvement of other suspects.
