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Russian Drone Simulator Boss Free to Travel Despite Software Feeding Military Training Pipeline
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A Russian tech developer whose drone simulator is reportedly being used to train future Russian drone operators has continued traveling across Europe and the US during Moscow’s full-scale war against Ukraine, according to The i Paper on June 10.
Aleksei Kolotilov, based in St. Petersburg, created “FPV Kamikaze Drone”, a hyper-realistic simulator for piloting strike drones, The i Paper reported.
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While major Russian defense firms and oligarchs have faced Western sanctions, the report says some technology developers whose work benefits Russia’s war effort have continued moving freely.
According to The i Paper, Kolotilov has posted photos from family trips to Italy, France, Belgium, and the US since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. In July 2024, he posted a photo of himself wearing Minnie Mouse ears at Disneyland Paris and complained about the queues.
“I didn’t really like Disneyland,” he wrote. “The lines were insane, and standing for an hour at each attraction wasn’t much fun.”
He also complained about Nice and Florence, writing of the Italian city: “I have seen so much of Europe I could vomit. Want to go home.”
Months later, The i Paper reported, his simulator was being used in Russian government-linked sessions teaching schoolchildren how to fly attack drones.
Russia has increasingly militarized education since the invasion, with drone training reportedly introduced into schools and colleges.
According to The i Paper, Kolotilov’s simulator also appears to be used at Russian military-linked facilities, including the Octagon drone pilot school in St. Petersburg.
The center, which the report says has ties to the Wagner Group, reportedly uses the simulator for early “muscle memory” training before students move to real drones.
Kolotilov told The i Paper that his product is a “video game” and not a military simulator. He said his company has “never co-operated with military organisations or government entities in any country,” and that any use of the simulator in schools or training programs is outside his control.
“As a commercial entertainment product, the game is publicly available worldwide. We do not and cannot control how individual users or third parties may choose to use it,” he said.
“We have no involvement in the educational or training programs referenced in your message. Any such use is conducted independently, without our involvement or control. As a developer, we may respond to general user inquiries regarding access to the game. However, we do not participate in or organise any institutional or training use,” Kolotilov added.
The i Paper said he did not respond when asked whether he condemned the use of “FPV Kamikaze Drone” by Russian military-linked units or government bodies teaching children.
The report also identified a second Russian drone simulator, KvadroSim, developed by software engineer Egor Sechinskiy. According to The i Paper, KvadroSim offers versions for schools, universities, and cadet training, and includes scenarios such as striking tanks, targeting armored vehicles, and intercepting aircraft resembling Ukrainian drones.
The company has claimed partnerships with more than 400 educational organizations across Russia, The i Paper reported. It has also listed links to Russian law enforcement and Almaz-Antey, a state-owned defense company sanctioned by the US and EU over Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to The i Paper, KvadroSim has also claimed links to “Archangel,” a project in occupied Zaporizhzhia that trains volunteer FPV drone operators for deployment in Ukraine and is reportedly overseen by Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU.
UK Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said people whose work supports Russia’s invasion should not be able to move freely through Western countries.
“High-profile individuals whose work directly supports Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine should not be free to travel across Europe and the United States. This risks undermining the West’s united stance in defence of Ukrainian sovereignty and the rule of law,” Cartlidge said.
UK Shadow Security Minister Alicia Kearns was even more direct.
“Aleksei Kolotilov and Egor Sechinskiy are not neutral tech entrepreneurs; they are cogs in Putin’s war machine. Russia is militarising childhood itself, at home and in occupied Ukraine, raising the next generation for its future wars,” Kearns said.
“We cannot claim to stand with Ukraine while those who train its killers are welcomed into allied capitals,” she added.
A counter-drone specialist at DroneSec told The i Paper that Russia is using simulators both for military preparation and war propaganda aimed at youth.
“Russia is using FPV simulators both to promote the war effort in schools and as part of militarised youth training,” the expert said. “They are effectively developing the next generation of drone operators through a system that blends education with military preparation.”
According to The i Paper, Russian educational institutions, from kindergartens to universities, have spent more than $214 million on drones and training equipment over the past four years.
Earlier, wives and family members of high-ranking Russian officials have initiated new legal proceedings at the European Court of Justice to challenge sanctions imposed by the European Union.
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-e5239d84d38c559848635261e7e3dd4a.jpg "Smoke rising after a drone hit the Russian Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, June 11, 2026.")