(Reuters) – A Russian national living in Sarasota, Florida, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of smuggling, money laundering and illegally exporting technology to Russia that could be used in drone production, the U.S. Justice Department said.
The indictment alleges that Denis Postovoy, 44, acquired and illegally exported to Russia microelectronic components with military applications after Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. These components could be used in drones, the Justice Department said in a statement on its website.
“According to the indictment, this defendant illegally exported dual-use technology to Russia that could have enhanced its capabilities to wage an unprovoked war against Ukraine,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said in the statement.
The Russian embassy in the United States said via the messaging app Telegram that it was aware of Postovoy's arrest but “has not received any official notification of the arrest from local law enforcement authorities.”
According to the Justice Department, Postovoy operated through a network of companies in Russia and Hong Kong to purchase parts from U.S. distributors and ship them to Russia via intermediate destinations, thereby concealing the final destination of the shipments.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Jamie Freed)
