Russian National Sentenced for Smuggling U.S. Military Tech to Moscow

Maxim Marchenko, a Russian national, has been sentenced to three years in prison by a U.S. court for smuggling military-grade microelectronics to Russia. Marchenko, who operated from Hong Kong, used shell companies to conceal the illegal procurement intended for weapons systems. He will also serve three years of supervised release post-prison.

Maxim Marchenko, a 52-year-old Russian man, was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for smuggling American-made military-grade microelectronics to Russia, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Marchenko, who will also serve three years of supervised release after his imprisonment, was based in Hong Kong and was taken into U.S. custody in September. U.S. prosecutors revealed that Marchenko, along with two Russian co-conspirators, used shell companies to clandestinely procure OLED micro-displays by falsely claiming the technology was for civilian use in China and Hong Kong.

Matthew Axelrod, assistant secretary for export enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce, noted that this sentencing exemplifies the relentless efforts to target and disrupt illegal Russian procurement networks. Federal prosecutors explained the dual-use technology could be deployed in various weapons systems, including rifle scopes and night-vision goggles.

(With inputs from agencies.)