34 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and one quadcopter were discovered by Russian customs officers during an inspection of a vehicle travelling from Kazakhstan to Bashkortostan.
According to the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, officers from a mobile unit stopped the vehicle near the Sagarchin international road border checkpoint.
Among the seized equipment were FPV drones with cameras for real-time image transmission, as well as two FPV wings, the 'Klyuch-Fortuna'. The accompanying shipping documents contained no information about the drones.
The man accompanying the cargo stated that the drones belonged to him and were allegedly used for personal video recording. However, the agency noted that such a quantity of aircraft could not be intended for private use and potentially poses a security threat.
A preliminary expert consultation showed that the consignment contained two fixed-wing drones capable of carrying up to 5 kg of cargo, one reconnaissance UAV, as well as kits for assembling 32 small-sized devices, the design of which implies cargo release.
The cargo has been detained, and the question of commissioning an expert examination is being decided.
It is worth recalling that in May last year in Stuttgart, two businessmen with dual citizenship of Germany and Russia were put on trial for circumventing sanctions. They were accused of supplying 10 Orlan UAVs to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
It was noted that components for the drones were delivered to shell companies in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Turkey and the UAE. From there, they were sent to Russian military suppliers.