A Russian court has sentenced a Russian man to 12.5 years in prison on treason charges related to arms smuggling to the United States, state-run news agencies reported Friday, citing the Federal Security Service (FSB).
Sergei Kabanov was arrested in 2021, though the exact date of his detention remains unknown.
Details of Kabanov’s case were kept under tight wraps for two years since treason cases are heard behind closed doors, as they deal with what Russian authorities consider classified information.
On Friday, the FSB said he was accused of shipping Russian missile equipment components “on the instructions of American special services,” according to Interfax.
Russia’s intelligence agency identified the U.S. Department of Defense contractor Victory Procurement Services as the recipient of Russian arms components, which were said to have been moved through Latvia.
The Tver Region Court northwest of Moscow found Kabanov guilty and ordered him to serve 12.5 years in a maximum security prison.
“The smuggling route of Russian surface-to-air missile systems and radar weapons to the enemy was eliminated,” the FSB was quoted as saying by Interfax.
