Estonian citizen Andrei Shevlyakov, aged 45, was apprehended on March 28 in Tallinn on 18 counts, including buying complex electronic equipment in the United States, and transferring them to Russia, violating American export restrictions. If found guilty, Shevlyakov could face up to 20 years in prison. The American government brought the charges against him.
Court documents assert that Shevlyakov ran a number of fake companies used to redirect sensitive electronics made in the United States to Russia, likely via Estonia, bypassing American export regulations. Items purchased included analog-digital converters and other electronic equipment used in defensive military systems. Shevlyakov is also accused of attempting to acquire a Rapid7 Metasploit Pro, which cybersecurity specialists primarily use for pentesting, despite the fact that it is quite legal.
Although Shevlyakov was added to the list of those working against US national security in 2012, what was needed to officially press charges and get the help of the Estonian side to capture him just now has only emerged with enough evidence. Allegedly, Shevlyakov leveraged fictional names and a network of dummies to bypass regulations and conduct a “complex logistics operation, including frequent smuggling trips across the Russian border.”
From October 2012 to January 2022, according to authorities, Shevlyakov exported goods worth at least $800,000 from American makers and distributors of electronics to Russia through his dimensional firms.
American prosecutor Breon Pis says, “For over a decade, the accused allegedly procured sensitive electronics on behalf of the Russian government from American manufacturers in violation of US export controls.”