A Ukrainian national with Israeli citizenship living in the United States was charged this week on charges of sending US nuclear production components to Russia.
Kyiv-born Alexey Brayman, a resident of Merrimack, New Hampshire with Israeli citizenship was among seven people charged by US prosecutors with smuggling the components to Russia.
Brayman, 35, allegedly worked with two Moscow-based companies controlled by Russian intelligence operatives to acquire the dual-use electronic components.
Semiconductors, oscilloscopes and other items have civilian uses but can also be used in quantum computing and to produce nuclear and hypersonic weapons.
According to the indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of New York, Brayman allegedly received a steady stream of “advanced electronics and sophisticated testing equipment used in quantum computing, hypersonic and nuclear weapons development and other military and space-based military applications,” items the prosecutors alleged “could make a significant contribution to the military potential or nuclear proliferation of other nations or that could be detrimental to the . . . national security of the United States.”
The components were then allegedly forwarded by Brayman to Germany and Estonia, “common transshipment points for items ultimately destined for Russia.”
Federal authorities announced a 16-count indictment against Brayman and six others, charging them with conspiracy, money laundering, smuggling, and bank and wire fraud.
Brayman appeared Tuesday evening in federal court in Concord, New Hampshire. He was ordered to turn over his passport and was released on $150,000 bond. He is also subject to a curfew and travel restrictions, according to the Boston Globe.
Two alleged co-conspirators were arrested in New Jersey and Estonia.
“The Department of Justice and our international partners will not tolerate criminal schemes to bolster the Russian military’s war efforts,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
“With three of the defendants now in custody, we have disrupted the procurement network allegedly used by the defendants and Russian intelligence services to smuggle sniper rifle ammunition and sensitive electronic components to Russia.”
