To onlookers at Disneyland Paris, he was just another grumpy father, dragged from queue to queue, waiting for hours to get on rides.
In reality, the grouchy dad in Minnie Mouse ears was a Russian tech boss, whose software is being used by military cadets in training to join Vladimir Putin’s killer drone force.
Major Russian defence firms and oligarchs have been sanctioned by Western governments, preventing them from travelling freely and accessing funds in Europe and America.
But a range of other Russian actors – whose work is beneficial to Putin’s war in Ukraine – are able to travel with impunity. Many technology developers appear to move without restriction.
The revelation raises serious questions about the ability of Western authorities to tackle Russian actors, even as Putin’s grey warfare on the UK and other Nato members grows bolder.
Aleksei Kolotilov is the creator of a hyper-realistic simulator for piloting kamikaze drones. He has been able to travel on a string of family holidays across the US and Europe during the Ukraine war, an investigation by The i Paper can reveal.
His family photo albums tell the story.
Kolotilov has posed angrily in a pair of Minnie Mouse ears at Disneyland Paris, with a caption complaining about the queues.
He has also posed for a picture in front of Trump Tower in New York, as young Russians destined for the battlefields of Ukraine used his software to prepare.
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said: “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.”
Spaghetti in Rome, Venice gondolas and Disney queues
Based in St Petersburg, Kolotilov has travelled through Italy, France, Belgium and the US since Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
He documents his travels with his wife and young child on Instagram, VK (a Russian version of Facebook), and on YouTube, where he has over 60,000 subscribers.
In July 2024, he posted a photograph of himself, arms crossed, with a scornful look on his face while wearing Minnie Mouse ears at Disneyland Paris. “I didn’t really like Disneyland,” he said.
“The lines were insane, and standing for an hour at each attraction wasn’t much fun.”
He was similarly unimpressed with Nice: “I can’t say I would ever want to go back.”
Florence in Italy was next in his crosshairs: “I have seen so much of Europe I could vomit. Want to go home.”
Months later, his simulator, FPV Kamikaze Drone, was being rolled out in Russian government-led sessions teaching schoolchildren how to fly killer drones.
Kolotilov in Florence, Italy, where he wanted to ‘vomit’ and longed for homeDrones have become a defining feature of the war in Ukraine, prized for their low cost and lethal effectiveness. Intelligence analysts estimate that up to 70 per cent of battlefield casualties are linked to unmanned aerial vehicles.
A new federal law on education was passed in Russia in 2024, which required teachers to help create a “sense of patriotism”, as well as “respect for the memory of Russia’s defenders” within students. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) warned last year about the “continuing militarisation of Russian education” and found that drone training had become part of the country’s national education framework.
Pointing to open source research, the MoD said the initiative had already successfully trained over 2,500 teachers, with courses actively running in more than 500 schools and 30 colleges, including hands-on practice facilities.
The simulator created by Kolotilov’s company, HFM Games, also appears to be used in Russian military facilities such as the Octagon drone pilot school in St Petersburg. The centre, which has direct ties to the Wagner Group, uses the simulator for initial “muscle memory” training before students move to real drones.
Kolotilov told The i Paper that his creation is a “video game” and not a military simulator. He added that his company has “never co-operated with military organisations or government entities in any country,” and any use of the simulator in Russian schools is done so “independently, without our involvement or control”.
He added: “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.
“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.”
When pressed on whether or not he would condone the use of FPV Kamikaze Drone by military units linked to the Wagner Group and by Russian government bodies to teach children, Kolotilov did not respond.
A second drone simulator, KvadroSim, developed by software engineer Egor Sechinskiy, offers multiple versions, from a basic model aimed at schools and universities, to a military-grade version designed for Russian cadet training.
The company claims partnerships with more than 400 educational organisations across Russia, training and recruiting children as young as 12 in flying attack drones. The firm holds partnerships with Russian law enforcement, as well as one of Russia’s main weapons suppliers.
Free to travel, Kolotilov had sunbathed on the beaches of southern France and experienced Times Square, New York, where he also paid a visit to Trump TowerSechinskiy has also travelled extensively since the start of the war, visiting countries including Italy, Turkey, Morocco, Thailand and France.
KvadroSim was developed by Sechinskiy while he studied at university. It offers users scenarios that include striking tanks, targeting armoured vehicles and intercepting aircraft resembling Ukrainian drones.
The firm has contracts with Almaz-Antey, a state-owned Russian defence company sanctioned by both the US and EU for “contributing to the destabilisation of Ukraine”. The weapons firm supplies Russia’s army with air defence systems, firearms for aircraft and armoured vehicles, artillery shells and surface-to-surface missiles.
KvadroSim has also claimed links to “Archangel”, a project in occupied Zaporizhzhia, which trains volunteer FPV drone operators for deployment in Ukraine. The initiative is funded and overseen by the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU.
Sechinskiy did not respond to requests for comment.
Shadow Security minister Alicia Kearns said: “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.
“We cannot claim to stand with Ukraine while those who train its killers are welcomed into allied capitals.”
How Putin has used drone training simulators
Moscow has made “extensive use” of simulation technology to train FPV drone pilots, according to a counter-drone specialist at the threat intelligence firm DroneSec, who wished to remain anonymous for their own security.
“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.”
By the end of 2024, Kolotilov had sunbathed on beaches in southern France, dined amongst the Renaissance buildings of Florence, visited the Hollywood sign and experienced the hustle and bustle of Times Square, New York, where he also paid a visit to Trump Tower.
Meanwhile, as part of the Kremlin’s military visits to schools – including those in occupied Ukraine – children in Genichesk and Novotroitsk were being given hands-on drone pilot training using Kolotiliv’s game.
In lectures given by the Russian government as part of an initiative to integrate propaganda and military-focused education into schools, they were being taught about the “historical background” to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as the “fight for historical truth” within the conflict.
An image from the KvadroSim simulator – which has claimed links to a Russian project that trains volunteer FPV drone operators for deployment in Ukraine, funded by Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRUPutin has claimed that 1.4 million drones were supplied to Russian forces in 2024 alone. However, fewer than half of drone missions successfully reach their targets, creating a strong demand for highly skilled operators.
To meet this need, Russia has turned to simulators and educational programmes to accelerate training. Russian educational institutions, from kindergartens to universities, have reportedly invested nearly 16bn rubles (more than £160m) in drones and training equipment over the past four years.
How future drone pilots are trained
This approach relies heavily on what analysts describe as the “gamification” of warfare. By presenting drone piloting as an engaging, game-like activity, the programmes appeal to younger audiences while quietly building a pipeline of skilled recruits.
The trend is amplified by Russian influencers, drone racing enthusiasts and public figures who promote FPV flying as a hobby and military strategy.
Last year, the country’s first school for children dedicated to assembling and operating drones was opened in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar. The scheme recruits local schoolchildren based on tests of their fine motor skills and technical ability.
At the school’s launch, the city’s mayor described the programme as “extremely relevant,” citing the growing demand for drone expertise in both civilian industries and military operations. Instructors include experienced pilots who have fought in Ukraine.
Photos from the opening show students training using an FPV drone simulator.
The threat to Trump’s US forces
The reach of these simulators also extends beyond Russia. In late 2025, reports emerged that a Venezuelan military academy had used FPV Kamikaze Drone to prepare for a potential confrontation with the United States.
Kolotilov claimed he was unaware that his creation was being used by Venezuela when asked by Business Insider. But that same month, he responded to a video on Telegram showing the use of FPV Kamikaze Drone by Venezuelan military forces, preparing for threats from the US, with an emoji of a flexing bicep.
While governments have focused on cutting off access to advanced components and financial networks, the case of drone simulators suggests that smaller, less visible actors may continue to operate with relative freedom.
For now, the developers helping to train Russia’s next generation of drone pilots appear able to move between continents with little hindrance despite the growing role their creations play in the most technologically driven conflict of the modern era.
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