A Ukrainian citizen, Stanislav Romanyuk, who was involved in supplying a high-precision machine tool to Russia, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison.
According to the US Department of Justice, Romanyuk colluded with two Latvian citizens, Vadims Ananics and Eriks Mamonovs, who ran the company CNC Weld, to export a Jig grinder from Connecticut to Russia. The Jig grinder is a high precision machine that doesn’t require a license for export to Europe, but does require a license to re-export it to Russia because of its potential use in nuclear weapons programs.
The US authorities, working with the Latvian authorities, intercepted a machine in Riga before it could be sent to Russia. Around $826,000 that was allocated for the machine was later confiscated, and a significant portion of the funds was transferred to Estonia to help Ukraine, according to the US Justice Department.
Romanyuk was arrested in Estonia on June 13, 2022, and on May 23 he pleaded guilty to money laundering. Vadims Ananics and Eriks Mamonovs also pleaded guilty.
