Three Russians were arrested in New York for evading sanctions to ship electronic components for use in Russian missile, tank and drone systems in the war in Ukraine, local authorities announced Tuesday.
Nikolay Golstev, 37, and his wife, Kristina Puzyreva, 32 — both Russian-Canadian — were arrested along with their alleged partner Salimdzhon Nariddinov, 52, who has Russian-Tajik citizenship.
The trio are accused of evading sanctions to dispatch, over the course of a year, “over 300 shipments of restricted items, valued at approximately $10 million, to the Russian battlefield,” Ivan Arvelo, special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement.
Components linked to the group’s two Brooklyn-based companies “have been found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine,” including guided missile systems, drones, tanks and helicopters, the Department of Justice said in statement announcing the charges for evading sanctions.
“These entities unlawfully sourced, purchased and shipped millions of dollars in dual-use electronics from US manufacturers to sanctioned end users in Russia,” the statement said.
“The defendants were aware that the electronics being exported had potential military applications,” the statement added, describing the alleged plot as “a global procurement scheme on behalf of sanctioned Russian entities, including companies affiliated with the Russian military.”
