According to the Justice Department, two US citizens were arrested in Kansas City on Thursday for allegedly shipping US aviation technology to Russia.
Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, 59, and Douglas Robertson, 55, are accused of exporting regulated commodities without a licence, misrepresenting and neglecting to provide electronic export information, and smuggling contraband in violation of US law.
Their arrest is the most recent action taken by the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, a group of federal prosecutors, detectives, and analysts who have been working for the past year to fight money laundering and sanctions evasion in support of the Russian government. According to the Justice Department, their work has resulted in over 30 indictments against sanctioned Kremlin allies and Russian military personnel.
According to prosecutors, the two men’s US-based KanRus Trading Corporation marketed and installed Western electronic equipment for aeroplanes, as well as sold equipment to Russian enterprises and offered repair services for Russian aircraft. Prosecutors claim that Buyanovsky and Robertson disguised who their clients were, lied about how much things cost, and were paid through overseas bank accounts in order to avoid US sanctions.
Following the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine last year, the US administration slapped new sanctions on imports to Russia. Prosecutors claim that Buyanovsky and Robertson discussed their alternatives for continuing to provide goods to at least one client in Russia, including moving shipments through third-party countries.
According to the accusation, the Department of Commerce flagged a KanRus shipment in February 2022 because it lacked the necessary licencing.
Soon after, Robertson, a commercial pilot, allegedly informed a client in Russia that “things are complicated in the USA” and that invoices should be less than $50,000 because otherwise there would be “more paperwork and visibility,” adding that “now is NOT the time for either.” Prosecutors claim that a package to that Russian client was later routed through Laos.
Attorneys representing Buyanovsky and Robertson have yet to be identified.