Third man charged for illegally exporting military tech to Russia

A Latvian man appeared in a Kansas City federal court on Wednesday after extradition for charges he conspired for years to unlawfully sell high-tech aircraft equipment to Russian companies. Authorities charged Oleg Chistyakov with smuggling, money laundering, and lying on export forms to break U.S. export laws from 2020-2023. Chistyakov and two U.S. citizens stand accused of falsifying export documentation and sending goods through intermediary countries like Armenia and Germany, according to the Department of Justice. Conspirators also allegedly sent payments through bank accounts in Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Czech Republic to cover their tracks.

U.S. citizens Cyril Gregory Buyanovskym and Douglas Edward Robertson earlier pleaded guilty to charges in connection to the conspiracy. Chistyakov allegedly served as a broker for the men by negotiating prices and delivery terms to Russian customers. The Latvian national could face up to 20 years in prison and a hefty $1 million fine if convicted, according to the Department of Justice.

In what kind of technology did the group deal? The DOJ did not elaborate on the exact types of advanced avionics that the trio trafficked. However, when announcing Robertson’s plea last month officials said that conspirators smuggled a broken Russian Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System to the United States for repairs and shipped it back to Russia’s Federal Security Service. The FSB was sanctioned even before Moscow’s 2020 invasion of Ukraine, for the agency’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to the DOJ.

Dig Deeper: Read my report for more details on Robertson’s arrest and confession last month.