Members of my unit are being called in for hours-long interrogations. They want statements against me – Kasianov
Major and aerial reconnaissance specialist Yurii Kasianov said that members of his disbanded unit are being summoned for multi-hour interrogations and pressured to testify against him.
He reported this on Facebook, Censor.NET says.
"This is being done in the finest traditions of Stalin’s NKVD, there is no evidence, but they need to put someone behind bars, and using a preapproved ‘24-question questionnaire’ they beat the desired testimony out of people. The presumption of innocence has been flushed down the toilet.
At the same time, internet trash outlets are spreading fantastical lies about "exploiting servicemen," price mark-ups "of 200 percent," poor aircraft performance described as "made of crap and sticks," and so on," Kasianov said.
The major noted that his units’ UAVs attacked the Kremlin in 2023, reached Moscow on numerous occasions, struck Russian aircraft at airfields, destroyed enemy air-defence systems, and halted the important Russian military-industrial plant "Kremnii EL."
"The task is simple, to discredit Kasyanov and his unit, to erase any memory of the unit’s successes, to eliminate the development and production of effective UAVs, and to lock Kasyanov up in pre-trial detention so he can no longer write about corruption or testify to NABU.
"Both low-cost rank-and-file bots and pricey ‘opinion leaders’ close to the President’s Office have been tasked with smearing the NYT, Kasianov and, at the same time, although they were not mentioned in the NYT article, all ‘anti-corruption activists’ and anti-corruption agencies," the officer said.
He stated that Fire Point produces about 70% of all Ukrainian long-range drones (up to 2,500 units per month out of a total monthly output of 3,000).
"Of course, over the past year and a half these drones have become more or less effective. But what does ‘effectiveness’ mean today… how do you measure it, what do you compare it to, if there are almost no competitors left—and now our unit has been disbanded?
Is it really an indicator of high effectiveness to strike a single oil refinery with a hundred FP-1 drones, only a handful of which reach the target? Ten million dollars spent on drones in one night—so what is the actual cost of damage to the enemy? Some people count effectiveness in money, not just in pretty footage," he added.
The New York Times earlier published a piece reporting that Fire Point—which now manufactures long-range drones and Flamingo ballistic missiles, used to be a casting agency that provided services, including for films featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he was still an actor. The company is currently one of the largest contractors for the Ukrainian military, with contracts worth $1 billion.
Background
On 3 October, Yurii Kasianov, a State Border Guard Service officer, aerial reconnaissance specialist and founder of the Matrix-UAV bureau, said that the dissolution of the strike-drone company under his command in the 10th Mobile Detachment of the Border Guard Service was carried out on the order of Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak.
According to him, unit personnel are being "dragged" for questioning by the Internal Security Service and subjected to polygraph tests. He issued a warning to Yermak over what he described as pressure and persecution.
Kasianov also appealed to President Zelenskyy over the disbandment of what he called an effective unit, and said he would go to the Presidential Office via a rally on Maidan.
On the evening of Sunday, 5 October, Kasianov, together with his family and supporters, came to Maidan to protest against the disbandment of his effective unit. The soldier said that they had been waiting for more than two hours for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but he never came.
Later, Kasianov stated that the command had dismissed the officer who was acting as commander. The soldier had been held at the military unit since Saturday.
On 6 October, the State Border Guard Service reported that Kasianov's unit had been disbanded due to the lack of effectiveness in performing its tasks.
Yurii Kasianov called the statements of the State Border Guard Service about the lack of results of the UAV strike company a lie.
On October 12, Yurii Kasianov stated that he is a whistleblower and a key witness in a National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) case involving the company Fire Point. He cited this as the main reason behind the disbandment of the unit he had created. The serviceman also asked NABU to provide protection for himself and his family under the witness protection program.
Earlier, media reports claimed that Timur Mindich is a co-owner of Fire Point.
It was later reported that Kasianov would continue serving with one of the State Border Guard Service units in eastern Ukraine.
