US arrests two for allegedly exporting aviation tech to Russia

Prosecutors allege the Kansas men have been conspiring to evade US export laws since 2020.

Two American citizens have been arrested on suspicion of exporting aviation technology to Russia in violation of sanctions over the war in Ukraine, United States authorities have announced.

Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, 59, and Douglas Robertson, 55, are alleged to have supplied aviation-related electronics to Russian companies, the US Department of Justice said in a press release on Thursday.

Buyanovsky and Robertson, who are both residents of Kansas, are also accused of providing repair services for equipment used in Russian-manufactured aircraft.

US prosecutors allege the two men conspired to evade US export laws via their firm KanRus Trading Company starting in 2020.

The men are alleged to have received avionics equipment, including a computer processor, from a Russian company for repair and attempted to conceal the true destination with a fraudulent invoice between November 2020 and February 2021. They are also alleged to have shipped electronics to Russia between May and July 2022.

Buyanovsky and Robertson are charged with conspiracy, exporting controlled goods without a licence, falsifying and failing to file electronic export information, and smuggling goods contrary to US law.

The two men face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of exporting controlled goods without a licence, up to 10 years for each count of smuggling, and up to five years for each count of conspiracy and falsifying export information.

The US has announced multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Washington last month unveiled sanctions on Russia’s metals and mining sector and financial institutions alongside a $2bn military aid package to Ukraine, to coincide with the anniversary of the invasion.