Ukrainian prankster Yevhen Volnov successfully infiltrated a closed online meeting of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg). The conference was entirely dedicated to the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for use in Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. According to a report by the independent Russian outlet Astra, the incident was captured on video, showing the activist harshly criticizing Russian officials, using profanity, and warning them to “look over their shoulders” while walking on the streets.
Before the unexpected intervention, the participants were candidly discussing the severe vulnerabilities of the Russian military-industrial complex. The main topic of conversation was Russia’s total dependence on Chinese components for drone manufacturing. One official admitted that copper wires used in their systems are exclusively manufactured in China. She further noted that up to 90% of the raw materials for electronic components are of foreign origin because Russia simply lacks domestic production capabilities. Another participant echoed this sentiment, confirming that even the plastic used for the drone bodies is imported from China, destroying the myth of successful Russian import substitution.
During the breach, Volnov resorted to direct threats and personal insults. When one panicked Russian bureaucrat demanded that the broadcast be immediately terminated, the prankster responded sharply: “All your faces have been recorded, so walk around and look over your shoulders. You, the bald one, first of all.” This specific threat was directed at Alexey Serdyuk, the Head of the Unmanned Systems and Robotics Department at Minpromtorg, who formerly served as a deputy to the high-ranking official Denis Manturov.
Investigative journalists analyzed the leaked footage and identified several other high-ranking officials involved in the drone program. Among them were Alexander Plotnikov, an employee of the same department, and Daniil Abulov, a specialist responsible for coordinating UAV manufacturers with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Volnov later commented on the stunt, stating that Russian officials would soon need state support to save their own lives rather than to build new drone factories. The leaked data also contained the verified personal phone numbers of individuals directly linked to the Russian military-industrial complex. The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has officially declined to comment on the massive security breach.
This is not the first time Russian state employees have fallen victim to humiliating operations. Previously, Belarusian prankster Vladislav Bokhan manipulated teachers in the Chelyabinsk region into recording a video appeal to Russian soldiers based on a speech by Adolf Hitler. In another bizarre incident, Russian teachers were convinced by a prankster to make and wear tinfoil hats to allegedly protect themselves from the influence of “NATO satellites.” These events continuously expose the sheer incompetence and lack of critical thinking within Russian state institutions.