Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, 59, of Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas, United States and Douglas Robertson, 55, of Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas owned and operated KanRus Trading Company. Based in New Century, Johnson County, the company supplied Western avionics equipment to Russian companies and provided repair services for equipment used in aircraft manufactured in Russia.

Between November 2020 and February 2021, Buyanovsky and Robertson allegedly received avionics equipment from a Russian company for repair in the U.S., including a computer processor bearing a sticker identifying Russia’s principal security service Federal Security Services (FSB). To conceal the true end user and end destination, the KanRus Trading Company owners allegedly provided a fraudulent invoice to the shipment company identifying the end destination as Germany.

On February 28, 2022, Buyanovsky and Robertson tried to export avionics to Russia but the shipment was detained by U.S. authorities. The U.S. Department of Commerce informed the two that a license was required to export the equipment to Russia.

In April 2022, Robertson told a customer based in Russia that it was not the right time for more paperwork and visibility as things were complicated in the U.S. From May 2022 to July 2022, he and Buyanovsky allegedly illegally transshipped avionics to Russia via Armenia and Cyprus without obtaining the required licenses.

On March 2, 2023, both Buyanovsky and Robertson were arrested. They were each charged with conspiracy, exporting controlled goods without a license, falsifying and failing to file electronic export information and smuggling goods contrary to U.S. law.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case. If convicted, Buyanovsky and Robertson face a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail for each count of exporting controlled goods without a license, up to 10 years in jail for each count of smuggling and up to five years in jail for each count of conspiracy and falsifying export information.