Russian sentenced to prison in US for smuggling dual-use microelectronics to Russia

According to the US Attorney's Office, Russian citizen Maksim Marchenko participated in a foreign illegal supply network that illegally purchased large quantities of military-grade dual-purpose OLED microdisplays for Russian users after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Maksim Marchenko, a Russian citizen living in Hong Kong, operates several shell companies and an illegal supply chain in Russia and other countries. He and his two accomplices fraudulently purchased military-grade chips, including OLED microdisplays, from US distributors for users in Russia. To do so, they used shell companies and deceptive methods to conceal the end use of the goods from the US authorities.

These technologies have significant military applications, such as rifle scopes and night vision devices. They claimed that they were sending the cargo to China and other countries for use in medical research, but in fact, the goods were destined for Russia.

Marchenko and his accomplices smuggled OLED microdisplays through companies in Hong Kong and other countries, arranging their delivery to Russia. They also used shell companies to conceal payments from Russia. Between May 2022 and August 2023, Marchenko's shell companies transferred more than $1.6 million to the United States to support this smuggling network.

Arrests of Russians in the United States on charges of sanctions evasion

The United States has imposed electronic sanctions on Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. These measures are aimed at restricting Russia's access to advanced technologies and components necessary for the production of electronics.

Recently, it was reported that four Russians were arrested in the United States on suspicion of exporting banned goods to Russia.