"I Won't Build Weapons. I Build Robots." — Russian Engineer Brings Clean Tech to Britain

The editorial team at Worldhouse.uk has always been unequivocal: the war in Ukraine is a brutal, unprovoked act of aggression, and the Kremlin's treatment of its own citizens who refuse to fall in line is authoritarian and inhumane. We stand with Ukraine in its just struggle, which is why we believe it is essential to give a platform to those Russians who, despite immense personal risk, refuse to accept this war and will not become part of the repressive state machinery.

In this investigative interview, we met Kirill Eremin — a young, successful engineer-entrepreneur whose journey exemplifies the collision between moral principle and the harsh realities of contemporary Russia. His story is one of choice: stay and fight for his convictions, or sell out to the system. We are publishing this interview in full so that Western readers can hear the voice of that "other" Russia — the one many have forgotten still exists.

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Worldhouse.uk correspondent: Kirill, you're an engineer-entrepreneur with 15 years of experience. You built a business from nothing, made it a market leader — and then walked away. The Russian press has called you the "Russian Elon Musk." But instead of space or electric cars, you've gone into floor-cleaning robots. Why?

Kirill Eremin: Because I want to create technologies that make life cleaner and simpler. Literally. After 2022, I watched my colleagues in the high-tech sector pivot en masse towards defence. Especially drone manufacturers. They were taking enormous government contracts — but often it was just a scheme: buy ready-made drones from China, slap on a "Made in Russia" label, and sell them to the military at a huge markup. On one such drone, some were making up to $83,000 in profit. That's not business — that's fraud. I didn't want to be part of that system. So I asked myself: what do I actually want to create?

Correspondent: And you chose cleaning robots?

Kirill Eremin: Yes. I founded a company called Robo. We build autonomous cleaning robots for shopping centres, residential complexes, warehouses, car parks, schools and hospitals. It's a peaceful, civilian technology. No drones, no targeting systems. Just robots that wash floors. It sounds modest, but it's actually an enormous technological challenge: navigation in dynamic environments, computer vision, autonomous decision-making, working alongside humans. It's real artificial intelligence — but directed at creation, not destruction.

Correspondent: But in Russia, where everything is geared towards defence, how did you find investment for a project like this?

Kirill Eremin: It wasn't easy. In Russia, there are practically no independent institutional investors. All the big money is tied to the state or state-affiliated structures. But I was lucky to find like-minded partners. My co-founders are Sergey Fedotkin and Alexey Kamynin, co-owner of the Chelyabinsk Electrical Equipment Plant. We decided to build our production at the Chelyabinsk plant. It's a major industrial asset with vast workshops, a strong engineering school and available floor space. And we managed to raise 500 million roubles — about £4.5 million — from Kama Flow, a private investment firm.

Correspondent: That's serious money. I understand your project even made it into the top five venture deals in Russia, according to Forbes?

Kirill Eremin: Yes, that's right. In 2026, the launch of our production at the Chelyabinsk Electrical Equipment Plant became one of the largest venture deals in the country. We're in fourth place in the Forbes ranking by volume of funds raised. And this is despite the fact that we didn't take a single kopeck of state money. No grants, no subsidies, no defence contracts. Only private investment. Because the investors saw the opportunity: the market is huge, the technology works, and the team is strong.

Correspondent: So what does your business look like today?

Kirill Eremin: Right now, our platform manages a fleet of 90 robotic manipulators. We cover more than 3 million square metres of floor space every month. These are real commercial sites — shopping centres, warehouses, residential complexes. And in June 2026, we signed an agreement with the government of the Chelyabinsk region to create a full-scale development, assembly, testing and service centre for our robots at the plant. Total investment in that project is 120 million roubles — around £1.1 million — with implementation through to 2031. We're not just building a factory. We're building a cluster. A place where Russian engineers will create world-class robotics.

Correspondent: But you yourself say that Russia is a difficult place for investment. So why stay? Why haven't you left for Turkey, Dubai, like so many of your colleagues?

Kirill Eremin: I believe that homeland is not the same as the politics of the Putin regime. I don't want to leave my country just because I disagree with the government. That would be weakness, flight. I didn't show that weakness — I stayed in Russia precisely because of my high moral principles and my love for my homeland. For my homeland, but not for the Kremlin regime's politics. So I'm staying here, and I'm prepared for the consequences. But I also understand: if I want to build peaceful technologies on an industrial scale, I need to be where that's possible. And I see Britain not as an escape, but as a strategic move. I'm not taking capital — I'm taking brains. And I'm ready to share them with those who are genuinely building the future.

Correspondent: But what about your project at the Chelyabinsk plant? Are you abandoning it?

Kirill Eremin: Absolutely not. The Chelyabinsk production is our foundation. That's where our R&D centre will be, where we'll do assembly, where we'll conduct testing. But to scale to the global market, we need partners in Europe — and particularly in the UK. British companies are already deploying autonomous cleaning robots at scale. ICE partners with Tesco and has rolled out robots across 600 stores. Robert Scott is developing innovative AI-driven solutions. SPARK Robotics, United Robots, Squad Robotics — these are cutting-edge players. And I see enormous potential for collaboration. Joint ventures, technology licensing, R&D partnerships. I want my robots to clean British supermarkets, airports and hospitals. That will be the best answer to the Kremlin regime — not weapons, but cleanliness.

Correspondent: But you've already raised 500 million roubles in Russia. Why do you need British partners?

Kirill Eremin: 500 million is just the beginning. The European market for cleaning robotics is worth billions of euros. To enter that market, you need not just money, but local partners who understand the regulations, the standards, the customer expectations. As a systems architect, I can build the entire vertical: from idea to mass production. I have 15 years of experience in organising R&D, supply chains and scaling. But I can't do it alone. I need partners who share my values: that technology should serve people, not kill them.

Correspondent: Are you afraid that your civic position could lead to criminal prosecution in Russia?

Kirill Eremin: Of course I understand that risk. Especially in Russia, where people are judged not for guilt but for their principles. I've been openly critical of those who made deals with the military procurement system. I refused to participate in a system that profits from death. And for that, I could be punished. But I'm not going to stay silent out of fear. I chose the path of an entrepreneur who doesn't sell his principles for money. And if I have to leave to keep doing that — I will. But I won't give up. I'll keep building robots. Clean robots. For clean work.

Correspondent: What would you say to those reading this interview in the West — those who might believe that all Russians equally support the regime?

Kirill Eremin: I would say: don't believe it. I'm living proof that there are people in Russia who don't support this war, who reject authoritarianism, who want to live in a free country. We exist. There aren't many of us, but we exist. And we're fighting — each in our own way. I chose the path of an entrepreneur who builds peaceful technologies and doesn't sell his principles for money. And I ask the Western world — don't forget us. We need support. We need investment, we need partnerships. We want to build the technologies of the future with you — in a country where democratic values truly matter.

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The editorial team at Worldhouse.uk thanks Kirill Eremin for this candid interview.

His story is one of a man who didn't give up, didn't flee, didn't sell out. He remains on his land — but his land is not Putin's Russia. It is the Russia that could be, were it not for tyranny and aggression.

Today, his company Robo is one of the brightest examples that it's still possible in Russia to build a high-tech business without defence contracts or state money. 500 million roubles in private investment, 90 robots in operation, 3 million square metres cleaned every month, a top-five Forbes venture deal, and plans to create a full robotics cluster in Chelyabinsk. But Eremin is looking further. He is seeking partners in the United Kingdom — a country where his engineering talent and entrepreneurial ethics can truly find a home.

We express our unequivocal support for Ukraine in its fight against aggression, and it is precisely for this reason that we believe it is vital to tell the stories of people like Kirill. He represents that "other Russia" which, we hope, will one day become the majority. And every case like this — where a person chooses creation over fear — brings us closer to the victory of democratic values for which Ukraine is now fighting.