EFKO Executives Arrested Over Aviation Project Fraud Allegations
Kustov and Lyashenko face charges of large-scale fraud and embezzlement. The criminal case is unrelated to food production, dairy products, or palm oil but is associated with the implementation of a project for developing and producing unmanned aviation systems "Transport of the Future".
According to Kommersant, the investigation examines the use of funds allocated for the import substitution program in the drone sector. The project was executed by "Transport of the Future," a company within the EFKO group. In early 2025, it received a subsidy from the Ministry of Industry and Trade amounting to 275 million rubles.
RBC sources claim that the total damage assessed in the case amounts to 8.6 billion rubles. This is the prosecution's evaluation, which must be verified by the court. No verdict has been reached, so the accused cannot be considered guilty until the court's decision becomes final.
Besides Kustov and Lyashenko, the case involves EFKO's Deputy Development Director Ekaterina Kustova, Strategic Development Director of the management company Vladislav Romantsev, former General Director of "Transport of the Future" Yuri Kozarenko, and Ministry of Industry and Trade representative Alla Polovchenya.
EFKO confirmed the detention of employees and expressed support for its representatives, urging restraint from conclusions until the investigation's details are clarified. The group has not announced any stoppage of operations or changes in the supply of food ingredients.
Why the Case Matters to the Dairy Industry
EFKO is one of the largest Russian producers of oil and fat products and specialized food ingredients. According to Kommersant, the group's consolidated revenue in 2025 was 344 billion rubles, with core activities in vegetable oils, sauces, and specialized fats.
The "EFKO Food Ingredients" division, which produces specialized fats, margarines, and oils for dairy, confectionery, and bakery manufacturers, is of direct significance to the dairy industry.
The group supplies milk fat substitutes used in the production of ice cream, spreads, and dairy-containing products made using cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and fermented milk product technologies.
In 2023, EFKO began producing milk fat substitutes according to GOST 31648-2022, a standard setting requirements for raw materials, physical-chemical, and organoleptic indicators, as well as control methods. While adherence to GOST is voluntary, compliance with EAEU technical regulations remains mandatory. The new standard also allowed the use of sunflower oil in milk fat substitutes, as reported by OilWorld.
A milk fat substitute cannot be automatically equated with palm oil. It is a multi-component mixture of vegetable oils, which, depending on the recipe, may include palm, palm kernel, sunflower, rapeseed, soy, and other oils. However, palm oil and its fractions remain a primary raw material for specialized fat production.
EFKO officially positions itself as a palm oil supplier and publishes information about the origin and traceability of this raw material. Historically, the group has held a significant share of Russian palm oil imports. According to data published by OilWorld, in 2018, EFKO imported 634,000 tons of tropical oils, which accounted for approximately 68% of their import into Russia. This estimate is from 2018 and does not reflect the current market structure.
Therefore, the arrest of EFKO's key executives is notable for the dairy industry due to the group's role in supplying milk fat substitutes, specialized fats, and palm oil. However, there is currently no confirmed information that the investigation has affected product output, enterprise operations, or contract fulfillment with dairy companies.
The criminal case itself is unrelated to the quality or safety of food products, the use of palm oil, or the production of dairy-containing products. The investigation's claims pertain to a separate technological area of the group — the unmanned aviation systems project.
