Estonian citizen who procured electronics for the Russian military on trial in the US

TALLINN - Estonian citizen Andrei Shevlyakov, who procured electronics for the Russian military, pleaded guilty on Thursday in a Brooklyn federal court to conspiracy to violate US export regulations, reports the daily Postimees.

Shevlyakov faces up to 40 years in prison upon sentencing. The defendant has also agreed to forfeit approximately 1.5 million US dollars in assets, the United States Attorney's Office announced.

Joseph Nocella, a prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, said at the court hearing that Shevlyakov had run a procurement network for nearly a decade, supplying hostile Russian military structures with sophisticated US technology and thereby harming the security of the United States and its allies.

"Today's guilty plea demonstrates that our office will hold accountable anyone who helps Russia illegally procure US technology, regardless of who they are or where they live," Nocella said, expressing gratitude to the Estonian Internal Security Service for investigating the defendant's activities, and for his arrest and extradition.

Shevlyakov was detained in March 2023 in a joint operation by the FBI and the Estonian Internal Security Service. He has been under electronic surveillance since May 2024. On August 27 last year, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board extradited Shevlyakov to the United States.

Special Agent Jason M. Hudson of the FBI's Houston Field Office testified in court that a larger FBI investigation, which began 14 years ago, led to the arrest of Andrei Shevlyakov.

"Given the duration, complexity, and international scope of the investigation, this was an extremely difficult case. However, our team persevered, and justice was served. Shevlyakov's guilty plea is a testament to the FBI's commitment to protecting national security and its determination to prevent foreign adversaries from illegally acquiring US technology for their weapons systems-technology that could one day be used against our own military personnel," Hudson said.

According to court documents, Shevlyakov spent years circumventing US export controls. His name was added to the Entity List maintained by the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, which prohibited him from acquiring goods from the United States without a license from the Department of Commerce.

Using several shell companies, Shevlyakov misled US manufacturers and suppliers to procure sensitive technology and electronic components. He then shipped these items to end-users in Russia, including defense industry companies and Russian government agencies.

Shevlyakov was aware of the restrictions against him but disregarded US export control requirements. In one instance, after a US company refused to sell him sensitive electronic components and informed him that he was on the Entity List, Shevlyakov canceled the order, only to resubmit it a few days later using a different email address and a false name.

As a result of his activities, over one million US dollars' worth of sensitive electronic components were illegally exported from the United States. The goods procured for his Russian clients included items like low-noise frequency dividers and frequency synthesizers, used for high-frequency communications.

He also procured analog-to-digital converters, which are used in defense systems, including avionics, missile systems, and electronic warfare systems.

He communicated with Russian defense industry and telecommunications companies about the sensitive devices he procured.

Shevlyakov frequently traveled between Estonia and Russia to deliver the procured goods. Between 2010 and 2016, he crossed the Estonian-Russian border more than 100 times, in many cases multiple times a day.

Documents from Finnish authorities show that the Finnish Border Guard detained him while attempting to smuggle electronic components into Russia. Shevlyakov failed to file a customs declaration, and a search of his vehicle revealed approximately 70,000 euros' worth of electronic devices hidden in various compartments.