A Ukrainian court has rejected a prosecution request to place Vitaliy Stasyuk, director of VistM LLC, under house arrest. Stasyuk is suspected of embezzling nearly 5 million UAH (approximately $120,000) intended for procurement of military drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Instead, the judge released the suspect on personal recognizance. The criminal case involves the disruption of a critical Mavic supply contract during wartime.
The criminal proceedings under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud committed on an especially large scale under martial law) were officially registered in May 2025. According to investigators, in March of last year, Vitaliy Stasyuk signed an agreement with Euro Standard Group LLC to supply 25 DJI Mavic 3 Thermal drones for the Ukrainian military. The total value of the contract was 4.86 million UAH, which the buyer paid upfront in full.
Law enforcement agencies claim that the suspect had no intention of fulfilling the contract. Investigators state that instead of delivering the equipment, the suspect used the advance payment for personal expenses and to settle third-party debts. Specifically, large sums were allegedly transferred to Stasyuk’s personal bank accounts and to the «Vdyachni» Charitable Foundation to cover the liabilities of Olasta LLC, a company owned by the suspect’s wife, Olha Stasyuk.
The suspect later returned 2.37 million UAH to the buyer. However, he subsequently ceased all communications with the client’s representatives and continued to evade delivering the remaining military drones for Ukraine.
Background Note: Vitaliy Stasyuk formerly served as an aide to Hanna Hopko, a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) during its 8th convocation. Meanwhile, the purchasing company, Euro Standard Group, has previously faced media scrutiny regarding its involvement in high-profile drone smuggling controversies across the Ukrainian border.
The pre-trial investigation is currently ongoing. If convicted of AFU fundraising fraud, the suspect faces a significant prison sentence under current wartime legislation.