The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday arrested two Americans for illegally exporting aviation-related technology to Russia.
Texan natives Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky and Douglas Robertson are charged with conspiracy, exporting controlled goods without a license, falsifying and failing to file electronic export information, and smuggling goods in violation of U.S. law.
Two Americans arrested on charges of selling tech to Russia https://t.co/6kDxjcQypp pic.twitter.com/a2Vr8EY0go
— New York Post (@nypost) March 3, 2023
The DOJ alleges that Buyanovsky and Robertson used their business, KanRus Trading Co., to supply aircraft electronics to Russian companies and provide repair services for equipment used in Russian-manufactured aircraft.
They also allegedly plotted to violate U.S. export laws starting in 2020 by misrepresenting and hiding the actual end users and destinations of their exports, as well as by transporting equipment through foreign nations, according to the indictment.
The two are facing 35 years in prison if convicted. The provided documents did not reveal the names of Buyanovsky and Robertson’s attorneys, and the DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for their contact information.
Matthew S. Axelrod, assistant secretary for export enforcement at the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, said on Thursday that state actors like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are trying to “take advantage of rapid advances in technology.”
The arrest comes as the U.S. has drastically ramped up sanctions and financial penalties on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, expanding the scope of the sanctions on people and entities that assist Russia in the procurement of weaponry and technology that would bolster its military.
Russia, meanwhile, announced sweeping changes to its military in retaliation for Western aid to Ukraine. State-run media TASS reported that the country will increase the size of its armed forces to 1.5 million over the next three years and reinforce the capabilities of its air, sea, and strategic missile forces.
Moscow claimed that the adjustments are required to counter growing opposition from western nations that have demonstrated their desire to harm Russia through economic sanctions and the transfer of arms to Ukraine.
“Only by strengthening the key structural components of the Armed Forces is it possible to guarantee the military security of the state and protect new entities and critical facilities of the Russian Federation,” said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
