In Kyiv, law enforcement officers have exposed two men who swindled a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine out of more than 3.2 million hryvnias by promising to create a "laser weapon" to combat drones. The Kyiv Prosecutor's Office reported this.
The investigation found that in July 2023, a 74-year-old Kyiv resident and his 59-year-old accomplice presented themselves as the heads of a private enterprise allegedly engaged in the development and production of weapons. They assured an American volunteer who served in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that they were creating a cutting-edge laser device capable of "blinding" enemy drones.
The fraudsters convinced the military man to order the production of such a "development" for 85 thousand US dollars. Later, the man transferred the money to them in installments - a total of more than 3.2 million hryvnias. However, after receiving the money, the businessmen did not provide a single device, and communication with them was periodically interrupted.
When the volunteer realized that he had been deceived, he contacted law enforcement. Now both defendants have been charged with fraud committed by prior conspiracy (Part 4, Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, with investigators checking whether the men could have defrauded other people under the guise of "innovative defense projects."
