High-level government corruption under investigation: Fire Point responds to report on NABU probe
Information is circulating in the media that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has launched an investigation into the producer of the "Flamingo" missile and Fire Point strike drones. However, according to Business Censor, this is a so-called "general" case being investigated on a broad range of issues, likely covering all major producers of deep-strike drones capable of hitting targets deep behind enemy lines.
This follows from an NABU letter sent in response to an inquiry by LLC Fire Point. The document is at Business Censor’s disposal.
According to the letter, NABU detectives, under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, are conducting a pretrial investigation in criminal proceedings No. 52025000000000048 on suspicion of criminal offenses under Part 5 of Article 191 (misappropriation, embezzlement or possession of property through abuse of office) and Part 3 of Article 209 (money laundering) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The investigation was launched on February 3, 2025.
NABU explained that the investigation examines a version according to which officials of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry for Strategic Industries, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, and other state and local authorities, acting in collusion with business representatives and their ultimate beneficiaries, may have artificially inflated production costs, the price of materials and components, during the conclusion and execution of state contracts for the procurement of UAV systems.
"In the framework of the case, investigators are examining both possible overpricing of unmanned systems by six domestic manufacturers and whether officials of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry for Strategic Industries, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, and other state and local authorities were aware of any price inflation," the NABU letter says.
As of now, no individual in this criminal proceeding has been served with a notice of suspicion, and no indictment has been filed. The pretrial investigation is ongoing.
"The pretrial investigation in this criminal proceeding concerns the possible commission of criminal offenses by officials of state and local authorities; it is not intended to interfere with the business activities of domestic producers. Any investigative actions are aimed solely at establishing the objective circumstances and are not intended to hinder the work of companies that are critical under martial law," NABU stressed.
On August 29, the Kyiv Independent, citing five sources, reported that NABU had opened an investigation into the manufacturer of the Flamingo missile and Fire Point strike drones. As part of the probe, detectives are to determine whether the company inflated prices on its products under contracts with the Ministry of Defense. Three of the outlet’s sources said the current NABU investigation indicates the true owner of Fire Point may be Tymur Mindich, a friend of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a co-founder of the Kvartal 95 studio.
According to the outlet, Fire Point has become one of the largest, if not the single largest, recipients of Defense Ministry funding for drones.
Until recently, however, the company was virtually unknown outside Ukraine’s defense circles. In recent weeks, Fire Point has launched a large-scale PR campaign, including in Western media, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Flamingo missile "the most successful" example of Ukrainian weaponry and announced its mass production.
