According to an indictment from the Justice Department, two individuals were arrested in Kansas City on Thursday for their alleged roles in a scheme to ship equipment to Russia unlawfully.

Cyril Buyanovsky, 59, and Douglas Robertson, 55, allegedly circumvented U.S. export rules to provide Russian enterprises with “Western avionics equipment” for their aircraft. They repaired and shipped the technology in secret, in one instance using a counterfeit invoice that erroneously identified Germany as the final destination of equipment with an FSB badge.

After U.S. authorities stopped a cargo in February 2022, they informed the parties that a license was required to export the products. The agency stated that two months later, Robertson told a customer in Russia that “things are complicated in the United States” and that it was “NOT the right moment” for more paperwork and transparency. After that, they allegedly began transferring the equipment to Moscow via Armenia and Cyprus. Each count of exporting a regulated good without a license carries a maximum sentence of 20 years if the two are found guilty.