A 74-year-old Kyiv resident and his 59-year-old accomplice were reported on suspicion of defrauding an American volunteer from the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
A 74-year-old Kyiv resident and his 59-year-old accomplice were reported on suspicion of defrauding an American volunteer from the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, in July 2023, they posed as weapons manufacturers and promised an American to develop a new "laser device" to combat drones and missiles, the Prosecutor General's Office reported .
To convince the military, they demonstrated a supposedly working device that allegedly burned Shahed's wing from a few meters away.
As a result, the military transferred over 3.2 million UAH (about $85,000) to them in installments. As the investigation found out, the suspects had no technology or intention to manufacture weapons, and the American never received the promised device.
The victim in the case is a US citizen of Ukrainian origin, a volunteer and founder of a military training school. He has been voluntarily serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale invasion. During the investigation, he has already been reimbursed $20,000, and work is underway to return the remaining amount.
