Man arrested in Kansas-Russia conspiracy case: DOJ
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has arrested a third person in connection to a conspiracy headed by a Kansas company to sell airplane parts to Russian companies.
The DOJ announced in a press release that a citizen from the Republic of Latvia is being charged with crimes connected to a years-long conspiracy to sell avionics equipment to Russian entities. This was in violation of U.S. export laws.
The man, Oleg Chistyakov, 55, allegedly conspired with U.S. citizens Cyril G. Buyanovsky of Lawrence and Douglas E. Robertson of Olathe to sell, repair and ship U.S. avionics equipment to Russian customers along with other countries that operate Russian-built aircraft. Chistyakov was arrested on March 19 near Riga, Latvia pending extradition.
“As alleged, Mr. Chistyakov facilitated hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit transactions to funnel sophisticated U.S. aerospace technology to companies in Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This arrest is another example of the Justice Department’s unwavering mission to hold accountable those who enable Russian aggression, including those involved in facilitation networks that fuel the Russian war effort.”
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Last year, Buyanovsky pleaded guilty to conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He consented to the forfeiture of more than $450,000 worth of avionics equipment and a $50,000 personal forfeiture judgment.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in Kansas or in Latvia — if you violate American law, you risk facing
American justice,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce Matthew S. Axelrod for Export
Enforcement. “We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners across the globe to
pursue those who seek to send military-grade aerospace equipment to support the Russian military.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Chistyakov and others involved in the alleged conspiracy continued to send avionics equipment to companies in Russia without required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The DOJ alleges that Chistyakov, while in Latvia, worked with Buyanovsky and Robertson through the KanRus Trading Company Inc. to get around U.S. export laws and buy avionics equipment from U.S. companies to then sell to customers in Russia. Chistyakov allegedly acted as a broker for KanRus.
“The FBI and our partners continue to pursue anyone who aids Russia in its unjust and autocratic behavior or to violate export control laws or any other law for that matter,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Today’s indictment and forfeiture judgment should serve as a reminder that we will not tolerate attempts to transfer sensitive avionics equipment and technology to hostile nations.”
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Scott Nace with the DOJ says Chistyakov is charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of violation of the Export Control Reform Act, multiple counts of smuggling goods from the U.S., conspiracy to commit international money laundering and two counts of international money laundering. If convicted, he faces a max penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy, 20 years in prison for each Export Control count, 10 years in prison for each smuggling count and 20 years in prison for each money laundering count.
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