Russian billionaire and main shareholder of EFKO Group Valery Kustov has been detained in Moscow and accused of large-scale fraud.
EFKO CEO Yevgeny Lyashenko was also detained along with Kustov.
Forbes estimated Kustov’s fortune at $1.1 billion in 2026. He ranks 144th on the list of Russia’s 155 billionaires.
EFKO Group is one of Russia’s largest agro-industrial and food holdings. The company is among the top three players in the Russian agricultural sector, with annual revenue exceeding 270 billion rubles ($3.4 billion).
According to Vedomosti, the criminal case is linked to the “Transport of the Future” project for developing unmanned aerial systems. As part of the same case, the CEO of Transport of the Future and former adviser to the governor of Russia’s Samara Region, Yury Kozarenko, was previously arrested.
The case also involves Alla Polovchenya, deputy head of the Department of Unmanned Systems and Robotics at Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, who is accused of embezzlement.
The “Transport of the Future” unmanned aerial systems development project was launched in 2021 with the participation of EFKO, but later became an independent company.
By Jeyhun Aghazada
