Russian billionaire and principal shareholder of EFKO Group, Valery Kustov, has been detained in Moscow on allegations of large-scale fraud, The Caspian Post reports, citing The Moscow Times.

EFKO Group CEO Yevgeny Lyashenko was also taken into custody alongside Kustov.

According to Forbes, Kustov’s net worth was estimated at $1.1 billion in 2026, placing him 144th among Russia’s 155 billionaires.

EFKO Group is one of Russia’s major agro-industrial and food holdings, ranking among the country’s top three agricultural companies with annual revenue exceeding 270 billion rubles ($3.4 billion).

According to Vedomosti, the criminal case is connected to the “Transport of the Future” project, which focuses on the development of unmanned aerial systems. In the same investigation, Yury Kozarenko, CEO of Transport of the Future and a former adviser to the governor of Russia’s Samara Region, had previously been arrested.

The investigation also includes Alla Polovchenya, deputy head of the Department of Unmanned Systems and Robotics at Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, who has been accused of embezzlement.

The “Transport of the Future” project for developing unmanned aerial systems was launched in 2021 with EFKO’s participation before later becoming an independent company.