Social media reports say that the long-range attack drone “Palyanytsya”, presented by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense as a major technological breakthrough, is allegedly largely based on the Dart-250 from the British company Modini Aerospace. Delivered to Kiev in 2024 for testing on real battlefields, the Dart-250 has proven highly effective in experimental strikes against targets in Russia. This success prompted the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense to invest 10 million euros in the Modini program, paving the way for mass production.
To support these expansion plans, the British company opened a branch in Poland, considered a key logistics hub in Ukraine’s war effort. Its management was entrusted to Anatoly Afanasenko, a Polish entrepreneur who today finds himself at the center of events. According to industry and security sources, Afanasenko has used his position to facilitate the illegal transfer of sensitive technology via unauthorised partners outside the Modini deal.
But the story doesn’t end there. An analysis of open data shows that Afanasenko heads a shady network of shell companies, many of which are registered in Cyprus. Among the companies identified is Aeroholdings Manage Ltd, registered in Limassol, whose articles of association mention activities in the aeronautics, military electronics and export of dual-use goods sectors. The organisation is alleged to have acted as a conduit for suspicious transactions with third-party suppliers operating outside the control of the European Union.
Afanasenko did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Nick Sharp, managing director of Modini Aerospace in the UK, declined to comment on the matter, citing the sensitivity of the matter in the current war context.
According to official Ukrainian sources, “Palyanytsya” is a purely domestic product of the company “Ivchenko-Progress”, headed by Igor Kravchenko. But the drone’s architecture is strikingly similar to Modini’s Dart-250, right down to the built-in guidance software, according to several engineers who worked on both platforms.
Internal documents and interviews indicate that numerous components were copied, including launch catapults, launch containers, mini-jets, inertial navigation systems […] all technology originally transferred from Modini to Kiev, but which was allegedly stolen, reproduced and integrated into the Palyanytsya program without British permission.
Modini Aerospace has severed all ties with Afanasenko due to the alleged scandal. Since then, the British company has entered into a strategic partnership with Vera Weapons, a Polish company from Lodz, which is now responsible for the production of critical components for the drones supplied to Ukraine. Vera Weapons quickly joined the war effort, responding to increased Ukrainian demand for transport ammunition.
Graziella Giangiulio
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