Slovak police foil arson plot targeting Ukrainian drone factory near Prešov
Officers from ÚBOK—Slovakia’s Office for the Fight Against Organized Crime—thwarted a potential arson attack on the Skyeton factory near Prešov, which manufactures unmanned systems for the Ukrainian military, police announced earlier this week.
The Ukrainian company’s Raybird-3 drones can stay airborne for up to 28 hours and travel up to 2,500 kilometers, operating deep behind enemy lines.
Had the attack succeeded, police said, it would have risked a large-scale fire, endangered the roughly 70 employees who could have been on site, and caused damage worth tens of millions of dollars.
The Slovak Information Service and Military Intelligence played a key role in uncovering the plot, providing information that prompted ÚBOK to launch an intensive investigation. Police identified the perpetrators before the attack could take place and seized a large quantity of incendiary mixture—identified by the Police Force’s Institute of Forensic Science as a blend of gasoline and polystyrene commonly known as napalm—along with tools, a mobile phone, an action camera and a hand-drawn plan of the attack.
Three foreign nationals were charged with preparing an especially serious crime of general endangerment, committed as accomplices for hire. Two were detained in Slovakia. German authorities arrested the third under a European arrest warrant issued in an exceptionally short time. Their identities and nationalities have not been made public yet.
When asked for comment, Román Hájek, a spokesperson for the Police Force Presidium, said investigators moved quickly once the tip came in, launching an immediate operational search effort that allowed them to identify those involved before any damage was done. He said officers from the regional police directorate in Prešov also provided significant support during the operation.
"Thanks to the timely intervention of police, no one was injured, and no property damage occurred," Hájek said. He added that the investigation is ongoing and that a change in the case’s legal classification has not been ruled out.
In comments to Ukrainian media Skyeton accused Russia of orchestrating the sabotage, noting that Moscow regularly targets the company’s domestic facilities as well as its reputation.
"The recent attempted attack on our facility in Slovakia is further proof that Ukrainian defense manufacturers have become a real thorn in their side, and that we are on the right path," the company said.
The case lands amid heightened concern across Europe over sabotage targeting firms tied to Ukraine’s defense supply chain, with security officials increasingly describing such plots—often involving foreign nationals recruited for hire—as part of a broader pattern of hybrid attacks reaching well beyond the war’s front lines.
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