The head of a Toronto company accused of shipping drone parts to Russia has been arrested by the RCMP for sanctions evasion, according to documents obtained by Global News.
Anton Sergeyevich Trofimov has been charged with two counts of violating the sweeping sanctions that Canada imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The 43-year-old, whose company Asia Pacific Links Ltd. has been accused of supplying the Russian military, is also charged with possessing proceeds of crime.
The RCMP has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday to announce what they called Canada’s first prosecution for violating Canada’s sanctions on Russia.
The name of the accused was not released by police.
But court records obtained by Global News show that Trofimov was charged on May 5, and made an appearance in the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto last week.
The charges accuse Trofimov of exporting, selling, supplying or shipping restricted goods and technologies to Russia between July and December 2022.
He was released on a $5,000 cash deposit, according to court records.
Prosecutions for sanctions violations are “very rare in Canada,” said Jessica Davis, a former intelligence analyst and expert on terrorist financing.
“While Canada has been very active in sanctioning individuals and entities, actually detecting and disrupting sanctions evasion activity rarely occurs.”
Canada has instead tended to rely on its partners in the United States to identify sanctions violations and prosecute those responsible.
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“This is a step in the right direction, but these protections have proved challenging in the past, so the outcome remains to be seen,” Davis said.
Along with its allies, Canada banned the export of sensitive goods to Russia in response to President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Nonetheless, weapons found on the battlefield, such as attack drones, show that Russia has still managed to acquire the parts needed to supply its forces
Trofimov is a Russian national who owns homes in Toronto and also has a residence in Hong Kong. He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in May 2023.
His Asia Pacific Links company, established in Hong Kong in 2014, was also sanctioned at the time for allegedly supplying Russia’s military.
Three other companies allegedly associated with Trofimov were similarly sanctioned by the U.S., including 10219452 Canada, which is based in Toronto.
The Treasury alleged that Trofimov’s companies were “part of the procurement network working to obtain technology” for Russian Orlan-10 drones
The Orlan-10 is a medium-range reconnaissance drone that Russian forces have used extensively in Ukraine to pinpoint targets for artillery and rocket strikes.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress wrote to Canada’s ministers of foreign affairs and public safety in January 2023 to ask for action against Trofimov for alleged sanctions violations.
“Evidence that a resident of Canada is involved in the supply of technology that is being used by Russia to murder Ukrainians is of grievous concern,” national president Alexandra Chyczij wrote.
A photograph released by Ukrainian military shows the wreckage of what Kyiv has described as an Iranian Shahed drone downed near Kupiansk, Ukraine. (Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate via AP/File).
Asia Pacific Links Ltd. allegedly supplies the St. Petersburg company SMT-iLogic, which in turn feeds parts to the Special Technology Centre, manufacturer of the Orlan-10 drone.
Special Technology Centre is also on the sanctions lists of Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Ukraine due to its “significant role” in “Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.”
Two other companies allegedly linked to Trofimov, IPS Pacific Company Ltd. and Shenzhen Yantu Import and Export Co Ltd., were also sanctioned by the U.S. for supplying Russia’s drone program.
A joint investigation by the Royal United Services Institute and Reuters alleged that Trofimov’s firm was the “largest supplier of microelectronics” to SMT-iLogic since the February 2022 invasion.
The report alleged the Toronto resident’s company had shipped US$5 million worth of microelectronics to SMT-iLogic during the first eight months of the Ukraine war.
“These shipments have included items critical for the Orlan-10 UAV,” it said, using the acronym for the unmanned aerial vehicle.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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Owner of Toronto company arrested for allegedly violating sanctions on Russia
