Estonia extradites a Russian to the United States who supplied electronics and ammunition to the Russian Federation in circumvention of sanctions

A suspected Russian intelligence officer has been extradited from Estonia. He supplied American-made electronics and ammunition to the Russian military. This is stated on the site. US Department of Justice.

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The defendant allegedly smuggled out dual-use technology and ammunition from US companies for Russia's defense sector.

Vadim Konoshchenok is accused of conspiracy and other crimes related to the global procurement network and money laundering. A Russian citizen suspected of having links with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) was arrested in Estonia on a preliminary arrest warrant issued by the Eastern District of New York and extradited from Estonia to the United States on July 13, 2023.

The defendant, while violating US export controls, economic sanctions and other criminal laws, was an important participant in the US-made electronics and munitions supply scheme in support of the Russian military and weapons development.

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He smuggled hundreds of thousands of illegal munitions in support of Moscow's war machine using front companies to cover up his crimes.

The charges against Konoshchenko and his partners were brought in 2022.

According to the indictment and court documents, the defendants were associated with Sernia Engineering LLC and Sertal LLC, Moscow-based companies that operate under the direction of Russian intelligence agencies to procure advanced electronics and sophisticated test equipment for the Russian military.

Some of this equipment could be used in the development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons, quantum computing and other military applications. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the Department of Commerce (DOC) imposed sanctions against Sernia, Sertal, and several individuals and companies involved in this scheme, calling them "a tool for the military machine of the Russian Federation."

The Sernia network was licensed by the Russian FSB—Russia's main security agency and the main successor to the Soviet KGB—to carry out highly secret purchasing activities. In emails, Konoshchenok directly called himself a “colonel” of the FSB and attached a photo of himself in the uniform of the Federal Security Service. In addition, a check of the electronic communications equipment found on Konoshchenok revealed saved contacts starting with “FSB” and email addresses from the FSB.ru domains. One of the entries in Konoshchenko’s calendar mentions an “FSB order.”

Estonia was a popular transshipment point, from where Konoschenok shipped goods of American origin across the border to Russia. On October 27, 2022, Konoshchenok was detained by Estonian authorities while trying to import approximately 35 different types of semiconductors and electronic components into Russia from Estonia, including several goods of American origin.

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Konoschenko was repeatedly stopped by Estonian border guards. He tried to smuggle hundreds of thousands of American-made cartridges into Russia, including 6,5mm, 7mm, .338 and .308 magnums commonly used by snipers, as well as military-grade .223 caliber rounds.

To date, more than half a ton of military ammunition associated with Konoshchenko has been seized or intercepted before it was going to be smuggled into Russia. Konoshenok used the Estonian front company Stonebridge Resources and often communicated with other associates about finding, transporting and paying for equipment. In emails, Konoschenok makes it clear that his fee is 10%. In one of the correspondence, he claims that he "cannot do less than 10%."

If found guilty, the defendant faces up to 30 years in prison.

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