Drone smuggling: discrepancies in customs documents and AMKU cases against Voler Import

Military profile in company registry

LLC "Voler Import" (registration number 45153494) appeared in the registries in Zaporizhzhia on 14 June 2023. The enterprise's charter capital was 100,000 hryvnias. Although the main type of activity is listed as non-specialised wholesale trade, the list also includes items regarding the production of weapons, ammunition, aircraft, military transport vehicles, as well as the repair of aviation equipment.

The company's founder was Mykhailo Korob, who was registered in Melitopol. He is now listed as a former owner. In parallel, Korob is the owner and director of LLC "Bliskavka" and also holds the position of director of the state enterprise "Pishchanskyy Quarry" in Vinnytsia region. Currently, 100% of the shares belong to LLC "MK-45". The ultimate beneficiary and director of the company is Serhiy Mykolaiovych Melnyk, who also acted as the contact person for "Voler Import" during tenders for drone procurement in the summer period of 2025.

Commercial activity and AMKU investigation

Under the VOLER brand, the enterprise sells a wide range of equipment for military needs: DJI and Autel quadcopters, electronic warfare systems, anti-drone rifles, thermal imagers, sights, and radios. At present, the company's official website is not operational.

The company's performance indicators for 2025 are significant: revenue reached 315.3 million hryvnias. "Voler Import" participated in drone tenders for a total amount of 763 million hryvnias, winning procurements worth 30.7 million hryvnias. The main clients are state structures and military units.

Problems began to arise specifically at the bidding stage. The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMKU) opened two cases regarding possible collusion.

The first case, No. 54/114-25, involves "Voler Import" and sole proprietor Tetyana Mikhlina. Previously, Mikhlina owned a makeup studio in Melitopol, and now she is engaged in e-commerce, having registration in Zakarpattia region. This concerns the procurement of Autel EVO Max 4N quadcopters for the "K-2" unmanned systems brigade for an amount of 7.5 million hryvnias. The Administrative Collegium of the South-Eastern Interregional Arbitration Court imposed a fine on the company.

The second case has the number No. 54/127-25. In it, in addition to the company, sole proprietor Roman Mikhlin and tender UA-2024-12-05-020029-a are involved.

The Melitopol roots of the entrepreneurs, the same surname, and coordinated actions at the tenders are currently signs that AMKU is considering, not established facts. Final court decisions on these cases have not yet been issued.

Discrepancies in customs documents

The complex situation was compounded by a problem with customs clearance. A key figure in this story is the Polish supplier Westtradegroup Sp. z o.o. from the city of Lublin (1 Dobrzańskiego Street). The company was registered in April 2014 (KRS 0000505188, NIP 9462648237). Its official profile is wholesale trade of various types, covering food products, fuel, electronics, and warehouse logistics.

The owners of Westtradegroup are Valentyn Stetsiuk (80% of shares) and Edyta Mądrzelewska (20%). The company's governing body consists of members of the Stetsiuk family: the chairman is Valentyn Stetsiuk, and the vice-chairmen are Anatolii Stetsiuk and Anhelina Stetsiuk. The names are recorded in Ukrainian transliteration, and citizenship is not specified in the Polish registry. In 2025, the company received 40 million zlotys in revenue and 846,000 zlotys in profit.

Since October 2022, Westtradegroup has held the status of an Authorised Economic Operator of the EU (AEO-C certificate), which grants it the right to simplified customs procedures and fewer inspections.

Two invoices for one cargo

The actual invoice from the supplier No. F/001466/25 dated 3 June 2025 records the supply of 50 DJI Mavic 3T drones at a price of $3,950.65 and 30 DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drones at $2,560.65. The total value is $274,352. The export declaration and export confirmation indicate 80 drones weighing 480 kilograms.

However, a different package of documents was submitted to the Ukrainian customs, which is also allegedly from Westtradegroup. This is invoice No. 202506232 dated 2 June 2025 with the same CMR waybill. The export declaration in this package has a number that differs from the real one by only one digit. According to these documents, the cargo contains 50 drones weighing 280 kg for an amount of $305,000.

Thus, there are two sets of documents in the name of one seller for one truck. It is unknown who prepared the second package, whether the Polish company was aware of it, and how much money was actually paid — $274,000 or $305,000. The court ruling does not provide answers, so resolving these issues remains with the investigation and, possibly, Polish law enforcement agencies.