Yuri Kozarenko, former CEO of Transport of the Future, has been arrested. He is a defendant in a criminal case of large-scale fraud. Investigators believe Kozarenko was involved in the embezzlement of approximately 70 million rubles allocated for a state defense contract for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Kozarenko is currently in pretrial detention, pleading not guilty. The case stems from his work as CEO of a private company. The case concerns a period when Transport of the Future received a 4,5 billion ruble government subsidy to launch the serial production of 750 vertical takeoff and landing drones. However, the subcontractor only completed 80% of the contract work a year after its completion, prompting an investigation.

The arrested man is accused of misappropriating funds, including paying for services provided by friendly organizations that did not actually perform the work under the contract.

In January 2025, Yuri Kozarenko personally reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the prospects for the development of unmanned aviation and his company's production capacity. At the meeting, he stated that the company was capable of producing up to 300 drones per year, including the famous "Geran" drones.