US Indicts The Man Accused Of Smuggling Microelectronics To Weapons Provider Companies For The Russian Military

Illustration. (Unsplash/Tingeyinjurylawfirm)

JAKARTA - US prosecutors charged a Russian-German man on charges of smuggling large amounts of microelectronic technology with military applications to Russia for use in the country's war in Ukraine.

Arthur Petrov, a double Russian-German national, 33, was arrested on August 26 in Cyprus at the request of the US Government, according to a statement by US Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan.

Petrov and two unnamed Russian conspirators are accused of using shell companies to hide procurement fraud from US microelectronic distributors subject to Uncle Sam's export controls.

Prosecutors said the technology was aimed at Electrocom, a supplier of St. Petersburg-based electronic components, Russia, to companies providing weapons and other equipment to the Russian military.

One of its conspirators is co-founder and general director of Electrocom, according to a criminal charge against Petrov dated August 11 and published on Thursday.

Petrov's lawyer could not be identified immediately. Meanwhile, Electrocom did not immediately respond to an email request for comment after working hours.

"Efforts to unlawfully supply US-sourced military technology to Russia are an insult to national security," Williams said in a statement.

Petrov faces 11 criminal charges including violating US export control laws, smuggling, conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering, as well as other conspiracy charges. Each charge carries a maximum prison sentence of five to 20 years.

According to criminal complaints, the smuggled technology includes components obtained from Russian military hardware found on battlefields in Ukraine, such as guided missiles, drones, as well as electronic warfare and communications devices.

More than $225.000 components were delivered during the scheme, which runs from February 2022 to August 2023, the complaint said. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Petrov's case was partially coordinated through the US Department of Justice's KleptoCapture Task Force, which was formed to enforce sanctions, export restrictions, and other measures in response to the Ukrainian invasion.