₴13 billion for drones and a search “cleanup”: how Fire Point linked to Denys Shtilerman is removing references to FP-1 and alleged ties to Mindich

05 May 2026 , 20:03

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₴13 billion for drones and a search “cleanup”: how Fire Point linked to Denys Shtilerman is removing references to FP-1 and alleged ties to Mindich

Fire Point, a company that quickly became one of the major contractors for strike drones, is allegedly trying to remove information about its activities from search results. Takedown requests, presented as copyright claims, have been submitted to Google targeting publications that discuss supposed corruption schemes.

As reported by Antikor, NABU is investigating Fire Point’s activities. They are looking into suspicions of inflating contract prices and supply volumes. According to sources, detectives are examining the company’s connections with Tymur Mindich — co-owner of «Kvartal 95». No official charges have been filed yet.

In 2024, Fire Point signed contracts with the Ministry of Defence worth 13.2 billion UAH — nearly a third of the total drone budget (43 billion UAH). The announced supply volume is about 2,000 FP-1 drones. The cost at the end of 2023 was approximately 55 thousand dollars per unit, later increasing to over 100 thousand dollars, although the cost price is significantly lower.

The company’s revenue grew from 4 million dollars in 2023 to over 100 million dollars in 2024. The number of employees increased from 18 to 2,200 people. In 2025, Fire Point expects over 1 billion dollars from state contracts, including funds under the «Danish model». Additionally, an agreement with Germany for up to 5 billion euros has been announced.

The company entered the market in 2023 (previously called Centrocast). The formal owner, Yehor Skalyha, is from the film industry. Technical Director Iryna Terekh previously worked on art projects and had no experience in the defense sector.

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According to industry sources, at the early stage, the company produced drones with low performance despite significant funding. There are no objective confirmations of effectiveness. The claimed performance indicators of 55–60% are not verified.

Military personnel and manufacturers note widespread defects: many drones require rework, in some units — up to half. Reasons include components, assembly outside production standards, and a sharp increase in volumes.

According to sources, contracts are distributed using administrative resources, and the product price significantly exceeds the cost price. Discrepancies between declared and actual supplies are noted.

Fire Point promotes the FP-1 drone and the «Flamingo» missile. However, experts point out the vulnerability of these products to air defense and electronic warfare, as well as the mismatch between their price and characteristics.

George MacGregor

Editor-in-Chief