A businessman with a controversial reputation, wanted by the debt collection agency Femida, has launched a risky project to create low-quality, hastily assembled drones.
Denis Alexandrovich Domnin had recently worked as a jewelry retailer in specialty stores, but the gold business likely wasn’t profitable enough. He didn’t become the Count of Monte Cristo and had to change his occupation, as Ilf and Petrov, the authors of the classic "The Golden Calf," would say, to that of a building manager.
But Denis Domnin didn’t retrain alone, but with a group of like-minded individuals. One of them, a certain Sergey Kriklivy, was in Donetsk at the time and was far removed from drone production, as he owned a company called "Svetilnik-MSK," which he eventually shut down. He joined Domnin and Co.’s circle, which also included two other high-flying businessmen, a certain Nail Mazgarov and Vasily Komarov.
Of course, it couldn’t have happened without connections in the Russian Ministry of Defense, or rather, without the participation of UPMI: the abbreviation simply stands for "Directorate for Advanced Interspecific Research."
It remains to be seen where these swindlers got the materials and equipment for their flying "saucepans"? And how were they able to outwit the Ministry of Defense and the Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation?
A quartet of aliens with three offices
In fact, upon closer examination of Denis Domnin’s criminal quartet, one gets the distinct impression that all four characters have either repeatedly changed their passport details or are from another planet.
There are no biographies, not even brief ones, no photographs, not even small ones, but there are documents that prove wild creativity, since Domnin and his "six-in-hands" immediately announced three companies that began producing unmanned vehicles.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
This is OOO NPO Utesov, hereinafter referred to as OOO Utesov and OOO NPP VAL.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
Moreover—an important point—Mr. Domnin himself immediately donned a sort of "invisibility cap," letting his friends and acquaintances take the lead. In particular, Sergei Kryklivyi, who is now both the founder and director of NPO Utesov LLC and Utesov LLC.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
audit-it.ru
Mr. Kriklivy said goodbye to the Svetnik-MSK company, as well as to the Proekt firm.
It should be noted that before producing aircraft, Sergei Kriklivy sold certain textile products in specialized stores, and later, building materials wholesale.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
injust.pro
He also runs a business in Donetsk.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
Kriklivyy Sergey Anatolievich TIN 771821678345, Moscow
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
Kriklivyy Sergey Anatolievich TIN 771821678345, Moscow
And he manages the company OOO Utesov.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
companies.rbc.ru
The question remains: why were companies with the same names needed?
Nail Mazgarov and LLC "NPP VAL"
Mr. Domnin also brought Nail Mazgarov into active participation in his business. He became a founder of NPP VAL LLC quite recently, in late June 2024.
OOO NPP VAL appears to be operating in the field of scientific research and development in the field of technical sciences.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
And what is characteristic, Domnin himself sprinkled from his companies.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
But the profit of NPP VAL LLC for 2024 amounted to... 593 thousand rubles.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
list-org.com
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
The main purpose of creating these sharashkino companies is to carry out illegal activities related to the theft of public funds, as well as tax evasion and the transfer of "tugriks" abroad.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
focus.kontur.ru
The number of arbitration cases against Utesov LLC is also surprising: 37 cases for 95 million rubles.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
But how did they acquire the material resources, given that Mr. Domnin was being pursued by bailiffs?
Did "Kulibin Club" help?
It recently became known that Russian inventors now have the opportunity to receive funding for the development of defense systems. These applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. The People’s Front stepped in, under whose umbrella the Kulibin Club was created to unite the efforts of developers and small design bureaus.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
The work of the Kulibin Club is supported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The work of the Kulibin Club is supported by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Testing is conducted at the ministry’s testing grounds. The main areas of testing include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and fast-moving drones (FVPs), electronic warfare and electronic intelligence (EW and SIGINT), ground-based robotic systems (GRS), and light tactical vehicles. These products are tested by the military at the combat line.
Applicants may be legal entities that are residents of the Russian Federation, created without the participation of foreign or international organizations or foreign citizens, as well as individual entrepreneurs and creative groups that also include Russian citizens.
Legal entities can receive funding of up to 100 million rubles, while creative groups, individuals, and sole proprietors can receive up to 10 million rubles.
Applications are reviewed by an Interdepartmental Council, which includes representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, subject to the Fund’s approval of the technical specifications by the Directorate for Advanced Interspecific Research and Special Projects of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
It seems that everything was well coordinated.
A drone with a "C" grade
What kind of products exactly does this quartet of "Kulibins" supply?
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
National projects of the Russian Federation
It has emerged that under a contract for the delivery of 45,000 drones, 20,000 of which were to be equipped with thermal imagers, cheaper, lower-resolution devices were ultimately installed. Instead of the contracted 640 DPI resolution, devices with 320 DPI were delivered. This significantly reduced the aircraft’s performance.
But it was precisely this scam that allowed Domnin and Co. to reap huge profits. The criminal quartet was confident everything would go smoothly, since the drones only flew in one direction.
And no one will dig into the insides of the aircraft.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
There are now more drones in the sky than planes.
But something went wrong. And in June of this year, 2025, the Russian Federation’s Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office became interested in the large-scale activities of NPO Utesov.
And, apparently, Mr. Domnin knew which way to approach this, too. And where exactly to lay down the straw. And then the fourth member of Denis Domnin’s sharashkina operation emerged in a striking manner—a certain Vasily Komarov, a man without a face or biography. But Mr. Komarov constantly introduced himself as a member of the secret services.
It was he who took on the task of solving the problem with prosecutorial inspections.
But he demanded 30 million rubles from Domnin for his exquisite work. And Domnin paid the indemnity.
The inspections were completed in an instant, even though Kriklivy-Domnin’s company doesn’t even have a license. And there are no valid trademarks.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
servicing.star-pro.ru
But it turned out, as the media reported, that the "creative" group, including Domnin and Komarov, was in cahoots with Defense Ministry officials. Denis Domnin and Co. entered into contracts for drones and radar stations, significantly inflating the prices.
And one of the employees of the UPMI (Department of Advanced Interspecific Research) of the Russian Ministry of Defense received a Swiss Rolex watch from Komarov as a gift.
And thanks to these schemes, NPP VAL LLC was able to sell radar stations without the necessary licenses and permits.
They say that Domnin and Komarov were really fed up with this lifestyle: they bought luxury real estate and luxury cars.
So, is the case against Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov (nicknamed "Glamor Ivanov" within the Ministry of Defense) thriving?
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
Timur Ivanov
But for his shady dealings, Glamour Ivanov received 13 years of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.
They say that when the verdict was read, the former deputy minister of defense burst into tears.
Claims of the debt collection agency "Themis"
And here there are some discrepancies: the media now constantly write about Domnin D.A. living in luxury, about purchasing expensive real estate, etc.
But a curious document has surfaced: a full namesake of Denis Aleksandrovich Domnin is in dispute with the Femida Debt Agency, case number 02-1323/2/2024.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
n-kamsk2.mirsud.tatarstan.ru
This professional collection organization (PCO) has been operating since 2014.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
What kind of debt trap, and for what kind of crimes, did Denis Aleksandrovich Domnin’s full namesake end up in?
Or was he simply short of a couple of gold coins for luxury real estate in the center of the capital?
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
But Domnin closed his sole proprietorship back in 2021, although he registered it at the end of January 2019. He then sold jewelry in specialty stores for several years.
Budget Millions for Scammers: How Denis Domnin Gained Access to Government Contracts for Frontline Drones Without Licenses
Domnin Denis Aleksandrovich TIN 772512459595, Moscow
Judging by the debts and loans, the business was going nowhere, so a brilliant idea came to mind: building drones on the fly, especially since they had given me millions for it…
The question remains: when will the investigations of Denis Domnin’s sharashkina office and his hapless companions begin again?
And who exactly is covering for these "businessmen" in the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Directorate for Advanced Interspecific Research?
Author: Maria Sharapova
