Medic stole 16 FPV from firm that entered $1.1 billion Pentagon competition and hid them for four months. Ukraine arrested him when he tried to sell them for 19% of their value

A senior combat medic in a Ukrainian mechanized battalion based in Donetsk Oblast was charged with stealing 16 FPV drones manufactured by Ukrainian defense-tech company General Cherry. He also tried to sell these drones, worth approximately $12,600, for $2,370, the Eastern Region Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office said on Facebook.

The sergeant's theft removed 16 FPV drones from frontline combat operations for nearly 5 months, from the January 2026 theft to the May 2026 sale.

Case mechanics

The stolen drones were on the military unit's balance sheet and had been issued specifically for combat operations. On 30 May 2026, the sergeant sold the stolen drones for $2,370, which is roughly 19% of their actual value, to an undisclosed buyer.

The officers arrested him immediately after the funds transfer under Article 208 of Ukraine's Criminal Procedure Code, recovering the cash, all 16 drones, and their components.

Charge and bail

The sergeant has been charged under Part 4, Article 410 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, for theft of military property during wartime, the most serious classification of the offense. A Ukrainian court ordered detention with the option of release on bail of $6,009.

General Cherry's response

General Cherry thanked Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and the Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office for "principled action against the theft of military property" in a statement on social media.

"FPV drones are a property of critical necessity, used daily along the entire line of combat contact. The availability of such weapons directly affects the ability to defend positions and preserve the lives of military personnel," the company said.

Earlier, General Cherry and Croatia's ORQA signed a memorandum of cooperation. They agreed to jointly develop and manufacture interceptor drones and counter-drone systems, including an underground factory under the Build in Ukraine localization program, the companies announced.