(Reuters) – A Russian nationwide residing in Sarasota, Florida, was arrested on Monday on expenses of smuggling, cash laundering and illegally exporting to Russia know-how that could possibly be utilized in drone manufacturing, the U.S. Division of Justice stated.
The indictment alleges that following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Denis Postovoy, 44, procured and illicitly exported to Russia microelectronic elements with army functions that could possibly be utilized in drones, the DOJ stated in a press release on its web site.
“In keeping with the indictment, this defendant illegally exported dual-use know-how to Russia that would bolster its capabilities to wage its unprovoked warfare in opposition to Ukraine,” U.S. Legal professional Matthew Graves stated within the assertion.
The Russian embassy in america stated on the Telegram messaging app that it was conscious of Postovoy’s detention, however that it has not “acquired any official notification of the arrest from native regulation enforcement companies.”
Postovoy allegedly operated via a community of firms in Russia and Hong Kong to buy elements from U.S. distributors and ship them to Russia utilizing middleman locations to hide the shipments’ last vacation spot, the DOJ stated.