Cyprus extradites Russian national to US
A 33-year-old dual Russian and German national Artur Petrov appeared in court in New York for the first time on Friday after being extradited to the United States from Cyprus, while the Russian consulate general in New York on Sunday demanded
A 33-year-old dual Russian and German national Artur Petrov appeared in court in New York for the first time on Friday after being extradited to the United States from Cyprus, while the Russian consulate general in New York on Sunday demanded to speak with him.
Petrov was arrested in Cyprus last year and, following a court battle, was extradited to the US, accused of criminal offences related to export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud, and money laundering.
The US justice department said Petrov “allegedly participated in a scheme to procure US-sourced microelectronics subject to US export controls on behalf of a Russia-based supplier of critical electronics components for manufacturers supplying weaponry or other equipment to the Russian military.”
US Deputy Attorney-General Lisa Monaco expressed her satisfaction at the extradition on Friday, saying it “demonstrates the justice department’s commitment to cutting Russia off from the western technologies that fuel President Putin’s war machine”.
“Together with global partners, the department’s ‘disruptive technology strike force’ and ‘task force kleptocapture’ will vigorously investigate and prosecute efforts to evade the global sanctions and export controls imposed to counter Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine,” she said,
“[Petrov’s] extradition is a vital step towards holding Russia accountable, and I am grateful to our Cypriot partners for their assistance in this matter.”
US Assistant Attorney-General for the national security division Matthew G Olsen explained the specifics of the accusations against Petrov.
“Our charges allege that, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, [Petrov] and his co-conspirators formed an elaborate tech-trafficking syndicate to supply microelectronics to Russia’s military-industrial complex,” he said.
He added, “together with our international law enforcement partners, the justice department will now hold Petrov to account in a US courtroom and continue dismantling criminal networks that threaten our collective security.”
The justice department explained that Petrov had “first acquired the controlled microelectronics from US-based exporters using a Cyprus-based shell-company, Astrafteros Technokosmos Ltd … which he operates.”
They said Petrov had “falsely represented to US exporters” that Astrafteros was purchasing the items for fire security systems and other commercial uses, and that the technology’s end users were in Cyprus and other third countries.
However, the components he was buying were in fact “destined for Electrocom in Russia, which supplies manufacturers for the Russian military.
Petrov was arrested in Cyprus in August last year, with Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis signing the extradition order on July 18 this year following the completion of proceedings in court.
If found guilty in New York, he could face a long prison, as he currently stands accused on 11 charges, some of which individually carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Russian consulate general on Sunday submitted a request for telephone contact and a meeting with Petrov, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Tass also said Petrov “considers the case to be politically motivated”, and believes he is being prosecuted “simply because he is a Russian businessman”.
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