General Chereshnya drones at inflated prices: Yaroslav Hryshyn scrubs the internet Amid five criminal investigations

Yaroslav Hryshyn is clearing the internet of publications about his activities and the procurement of “General Chereshnya” drones. His tool for removing them is DMCA complaints. As inconvenient mentions disappear from search results, five criminal investigations have already been opened in connection with UAV procurement.

Tens of millions of hryvnias in public funds passed through TOV “TShBS,” a company established in 2023 and linked to Hryshyn, without competitive tenders. The company’s registered capital is UAH 50 million, while Hryshyn’s own income is considerably more modest.

One “General Chereshnya” drone costs UAH 39,000—several times more than comparable drones on the market. At the scale of these deliveries, that price difference amounts to millions of hryvnias in public funds.

Rustem Umerov, Arsen Zhumadilov and Ivan Fedorov promoted the drones. They lobbied for the interests of Yaroslav Hryshyn and Rudolf Akopyan and pushed “General Chereshnya” through by manipulating the technical requirements for procurement.

Meanwhile, others were doing the fighting on the front line. Soldiers of the 59th Brigade risked their lives using UAVs in combat. The strike on a Russian Ka-52 was turned into high-profile advertising for “General Chereshnya” and used to further promote the drones in government procurement.

Former Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, Mykhailo Fedorov and Arsen Zhumadilov, head of the Defence Procurement Agency, are named in connection with the public funds flowing through these procurements. The sums run into tens of millions of hryvnias and involve the purchase of overpriced UAVs and the promotion of a specific supplier.

The result is five criminal investigations:

The case has also reached the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). In case No. 991/1882/26, High Anti-Corruption Court Judge Ye. V. Kriuk ordered NABU to enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations.

Yaroslav Hryshyn is clearing the internet of publications about his activities and the procurement of “General Chereshnya” drones. His tool for removing them is DMCA complaints. As inconvenient mentions disappear from search results, five criminal investigations have already been opened in connection with UAV procurement.

Tens of millions of hryvnias in public funds passed through TOV “TShBS,” a company established in 2023 and linked to Hryshyn, without competitive tenders. The company’s registered capital is UAH 50 million, while Hryshyn’s own income is considerably more modest.

One “General Chereshnya” drone costs UAH 39,000—several times more than comparable drones on the market. At the scale of these deliveries, that price difference amounts to millions of hryvnias in public funds.

Rustem Umerov, Arsen Zhumadilov and Ivan Fedorov promoted the drones. They lobbied for the interests of Yaroslav Hryshyn and Rudolf Akopyan and pushed “General Chereshnya” through by manipulating the technical requirements for procurement.

Meanwhile, others were doing the fighting on the front line. Soldiers of the 59th Brigade risked their lives using UAVs in combat. The strike on a Russian Ka-52 was turned into high-profile advertising for “General Chereshnya” and used to further promote the drones in government procurement.

Former Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, Mykhailo Fedorov and Arsen Zhumadilov, head of the Defence Procurement Agency, are named in connection with the public funds flowing through these procurements. The sums run into tens of millions of hryvnias and involve the purchase of overpriced UAVs and the promotion of a specific supplier.

The result is five criminal investigations:

The case has also reached the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). In case No. 991/1882/26, High Anti-Corruption Court Judge Ye. V. Kriuk ordered NABU to enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations.