Cyprus extradited to the US a Russian national accused of exporting military microelectronics to Russia

Cyprus has extradited Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian and German national, to the United States law enforcement agencies. In the summer of 2023, authorities detained Petrov on suspicion of illegally exporting US military microelectronics to Russia, circumventing sanctions against the Kremlin for its war in Ukraine.

This was reported by the US Department of Justice. “Arthur Petrov allegedly participated in a Russia-based illicit procurement network that, subsequent to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, illegally procured large quantities of sensitive microelectronics for a Russian company that supplies manufacturers for the Russian military,” the statement said.

Following his extradition from Cyprus on charges of export control violations, smuggling, fraud, and money laundering, 33-year-old Petrov made his first appearance before a US federal court on Friday, August 9.

The US Department of Justice requested Petrov’s arrest in Cyprus in August 2023, accusing him of participating in an illegal scheme to purchase US microelectronics subject to US export controls.

“Today’s extradition demonstrates the Justice Department’s enduring commitment to cutting Russia off from the western technologies that fuel President Putin’s war machine,” stated Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

According to the investigation, the Russian worked for a Russian electronics supplier to the Russian army, Electrokom VPK LLC, and together with two other Russian citizens, he ran a network of illegal purchases of sanctioned goods around the world.

For this purpose, Petrov, in particular, used the Cypriot shell company Astrafteros, through which he allegedly purchased equipment for fire safety systems. Electrokom then received the goods from shell companies in third countries.

In total, the participants in the sanctions circumvention scheme managed to purchase and transfer to Russia military electronic components worth more than $225,000. In November 2023, the companies in the network were subject to US sanctions.

The most serious of the 11 charges against Artur Petrov carries a 20-year prison sentence.

Last month, two suspects pleaded guilty in a New York court to collaborating with sanctioned Russian companies that helped supply them with banned weapons components—53-year-old Salimdzhon Nasriddinov and 38-year-old Nikolai Goltsev.