A 48-year-old man, born in Belarus, was indicted and placed in pre-trial detention at the beginning of June after being caught filming a prototype of a military drone near Toulouse.
Arrested on June 3, he was capturing images of a device from the company Delair, a French manufacturer which notably supplies the French and Ukrainian armies. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, he was “filming a drone prototype from a company supplying the French and Ukrainian armies.”
A video sent to Russia
The investigation, entrusted to the DGSI, quickly took on a sensitive dimension. The intelligence services established that the suspect transmitted the images abroad. “The investigations carried out by the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) established that he would have sent a video to an interlocutor in Russia,” specifies the prosecution. Two days after his arrest, a judicial investigation was opened for several attacks on the fundamental interests of the Nation. The man is being prosecuted in particular for “having delivered information to a foreign power”, in this case Russia, a crime punishable by fifteen years in prison, as well as for “criminal association”.
According to a source close to the case, the man, who resided in Spain, specifically targeted the Delair factory located in Labège, near Toulouse. A sensitive site, given the company’s role in defense technologies. Another disturbing element: the factory had been targeted just before its arrest by Molotov cocktail jets. A separate investigation was opened for “destruction by means dangerous to people,” said Toulouse prosecutor David Charmatz.
Delair, a key player in military drones
Founded fifteen years ago, the Toulouse company Delair has established itself as a recognized player, particularly in the context of the Ukrainian conflict. It currently employs 250 people and has a turnover of 50 million euros in 2025. The group has developed several generations of drones, aerial and underwater, used in defense, security or industrial surveillance missions. More than 3,000 devices have already been deployed around the world, proof of its strategic importance.
Faced with this affair, Delair remains discreet. “The competent authorities have taken charge of the matter, we have no comments to make,” said Stéphane Douce, the company’s public relations manager. He nevertheless assures that “our activity has not been impacted by these events and […] We have taken all necessary measures to strengthen the security of the property and people of our company.”
A series of cases linked to foreign interference
This affair is part of a broader context of suspicions of foreign interference in France. In February, four people, including two Chinese nationals, were indicted for alleged espionage after the discovery of a device intended to capture “satellite data from the Starlink network and data from entities of vital importance, particularly military.”
Another example: at the end of December 2025, a spy box capable of taking control of a ship was discovered on board an Italian ferry that had stopped in France. A matter deemed “very serious” by the Minister of the Interior. A few weeks earlier, three people had also been indicted in Paris for economic espionage for the benefit of Moscow. At the heart of the matter, pro-Russian posters posted on the Arc de Triomphe and attempts to approach French company executives to obtain sensitive information.
