A Russian man, Arthur Petrov, was ordered to be held without bail in Manhattan federal court on Friday on charges of conspiring to smuggle U.S. microelectronics to military manufacturers in Russia to support the war in Ukraine. Petrov, 33, who was arrested in Cyprus last August and extradited to the United States on Thursday, agreed to remain detained during a brief court appearance. His court-appointed lawyer, Michael Arthus, chose not to comment on the charges, which include multiple conspiracy counts and smuggling goods crimes that carry a potential penalty of over 150 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated in a release that Petrov hid the destination of the electronics to circumvent U.S. export controls related to Russia. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco mentioned that the extradition demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to limiting Russian access to Western technologies crucial for their military capabilities. Christie M. Curtis, the head of New York’s FBI office, highlighted Petrov’s involvement in a network that clandestinely provided Russia’s military industrial complex with vital U.S. technology, similar to microelectronics found in Russian weapons used in Ukraine.
A criminal complaint filed in court revealed that Russia’s weapons systems, such as rockets, drones, ballistic missiles, radios, and electronic warfare devices, heavily rely on components and microelectronics produced in the West, particularly the United States. Petrov, a dual citizen of Russia and Germany who resided in Russia and Cyprus, worked for LLC Electrocom VPK, a Russia-based supplier of electronic components for Russian military weaponry. Petrov and two coconspirators allegedly obtained large quantities of microelectronics from U.S. distributors through fraudulent means, using shell companies to conceal the intended destination in Russia, falsely claiming that the items were for fire security systems and other commercial purposes in Cyprus and other countries excluding Russia.
