Two high-profile criminal cases against leading figures in Russia’s drone industry have highlighted claims by pro-war bloggers that corruption is undermining the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The most recent case came with the arrest of two directors of a company called Drone Solutions on August 8. This followed the arrest of billionaire drone tycoon Valery Kustov in June.Both cases relate to fraud charges, and in both instances drones developed by the companies had previously been demonstrated to Russian President Vladimir Putin as examples of homegrown innovation.Drone Solutions presented its product, named Aist (Stork), to Putin in April. The company said the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was designed for delivering medical and other supplies.Now, company directors Irakli Khazalia and Vyacheslav Barbarov could face 10 years in prison on fraud charges. The details of the case are murky, but following the arrests, the head of a rival drone company was quick to crow.“The unmanned aviation sector in our country is full of people who have no experience in aviation,” wrote Dmitry Tretyakov, whose company claims to be behind Russia’s first UAV with on-board AI.“The main problem is the utter lack of professionalism, the lies, and the posturing of those in charge of this industry,” he added.