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Searches were carried out at the premises of drone manufacturer VYRIY and at the home of Oleksiy Babenko, a shareholder in ‘Babel’, following an article about the ‘Skelya’ regiment

Searches were carried out at the premises of drone manufacturer VYRIY and at the home of Oleksiy Babenko, a shareholder in ‘Babel’, following an article about the ‘Skelya’ regiment

07 July 2026, 16:00

Searches were carried out at the premises of drone manufacturer VYRIY and at the home of Oleksiy Babenko, a shareholder in ‘Babel’, following an article about the ‘Skelya’ regiment — Oleksiy Babenko, co-owner of VYRIY INDUSTRIES and shareholder in the publication ‘Babel’

On 7 July, law enforcement officers carried out searches at VYRIY Industries, one of Ukraine’s drone manufacturers, as well as at the home of Oleksiy Babenko, a co-owner of the company and a shareholder in the publication ‘Babel’. The publication links the current information campaign to a recently published journalistic investigation.

This was reported by VYRIY Industries and the publication ‘Babel’.

According to the publication, searches were also carried out at the homes of Babenko’s brother and mother, as well as at the company’s office. During the search of his home, $3,500 in cash was seized and data was copied from his mobile phone.

“Babel”, citing its own sources, claims that investigators are looking into possible overpricing of products and the conclusion of fictitious contracts. At the same time, the State Bureau of Investigations has not officially disclosed the reasons for the investigative actions nor has it formally charged Oleksiy Babenko.

VYRIY Industries stated that it is cooperating fully with the investigation.

“The company is cooperating fully with the authorised bodies and providing all necessary information. Production is operating as normal, and the team continues to fulfil its contractual obligations to the Ukrainian Defence Forces and partners,” the company said.

VYRIY Industries also reported that, the day before, false reports had been circulating on anonymous Telegram channels alleging that $5 million had been seized during the searches, describing this information as fake news.

The publication “Babel” links the current information campaign to a recently published journalistic investigation into alleged torture, ill-treatment of military personnel and abuse within the “Skelya” assault regiment.

Following the publication of the article, the editorial team reported a large-scale campaign to discredit the publication and its investor on anonymous Telegram channels, where accusations were being circulated without any evidence.

VYRIY Industries is one of Ukraine’s largest manufacturers of FPV drones and is known for supplying some of the most affordable drones to the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

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