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A suspected Russian intelligence officer pleaded not guilty last week to charges of money laundering and the smuggling of American-made electronics and ammunition on behalf of the Kremlin's war efforts in Ukraine.
Vadim Konoshchenok, 48, was extradited to the United States from Estonia on Wednesday. Federal prosecutors alleged he has ties to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
"As alleged, the defendant was a critical participant in a scheme to provide sensitive, American-made electronics and ammunition in furtherance of Russia’s war efforts and weapons development, violating U.S. export controls, economic sanctions and other criminal statutes," said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.
Konoshcheno pleaded not guilty to the charges against him at a Brooklyn, New York federal court and is being held without bail.
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The Grand Kremlin palace, left, and the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. A Russian intelligence officer is accused of smuggling of American-made electronics and ammunition on behalf of the Kremlin's war efforts in Ukraine. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He was detained by Estonia authorities on a federal warrant issued by the Justice Department. In October 2022, he was stopped by Estonian authorities and found to be traveling with 35 different semiconductors, thousands of U.S.-made 6.5mm bullets and other electronic components.
Authorities stopped Konoshcenok again on Nov. 24, 2022 as he was attempting to cross into Russia with around 20 cases of U.S.-origin bullets, including tactical rounds and .338 military sniper rounds.
After his arrest, Estonian authorities searched a warehouse used by Konoshcenok and recovered around 375 pounds worth of ammunition.
Konoshchenok was repeatedly stopped by Estonian border officials attempting to smuggle hundreds of thousands of American-made and export-controlled rounds into Russia, including 6.5 mm, 7 mm, .338 and .308 magnum rounds, which are commonly used by snipers, as well as military-grade .223 rounds, the DOJ said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. for comment on the matter, but has not yet heard back.
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Konoshchenok and four other co-defendants – Yevgeniy Grinin, 44, Aleksey Ippolitov, 57, Boris Livshits, 52, Svetlana Skvortsova, 41 – were linked to two Moscow-based companies, Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC, that operate under the direction of Russian intelligence to procure advanced electronics and testing equipment for the Kremlin’s military-industrial complex.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his speech during the Victory Day military parade marking the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II in Red square in Moscow. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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Both companies operated a network of shell companies and bank accounts on behalf of the Russian government, authorities said. The U.S. government sanctioned Serniya, Sertal, Grinin, and several other companies involved in the scheme after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Serniya’s network of clients included various state-owned defense conglomerates.
Konoshchenok faces up to 30 years in prison.
Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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