Citizen of Kyrgyzstan indicted in the U.S. for illegal firearms exports to Russia

RU

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York last week indicted Sergey Zharnovnikov, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, on charges of conspiracy to illegally export firearms from the United States to Russia. Zharnovnikov was arrested on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas, Nevada, after traveling there for the Shot Show, an industry trade event where he planned to meet with U.S. firearms manufacturers. He is currently in custody awaiting trial.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Zharnovnikov operated a scheme to circumvent U.S. export controls, smuggling semi-automatic firearms of American origin into Russia via Kyrgyzstan. To cover his tracks, he used two companies registered in Bishkek. One of these firms purchased American firearms under a five-year contract worth $900,000 with a U.S. company based in Chesapeake, Virginia. The second firm then acquired the weapons from the first and resold them to a Russian partner under a $10 million contract.

The charges against Zharnovnikov stem from a shipment made in the second half of 2022. On Jul. 2, he received an invoice from a U.S. company for 25 semi-automatic carbines. To pay for them, Zharnovnikov transferred funds from his second Kyrgyz company to the first and then forwarded $65,564 to the U.S.

Once payment was confirmed, on Jul. 7 the weapons were shipped from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to Bishkek. Four months later, on Nov. 14, the director of a Russian company filed an import tax declaration for carbines with the exact same serial numbers as those sent by Zharnovnikov from New York to Kyrgyzstan. The seller in this transaction was Zharnovnikov’s second Kyrgyz firm. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.

Virginia – Bishkek – Moscow: Tracing the firearms smuggling network

Using data uncovered in its previous investigations, The Insider identified the three companies involved in this trafficking scheme.

The U.S. company located in Chesapeake, Virginia is Kriss USA, the American branch of the Swiss-based Kriss Group, founded in 2002. Kriss manufactures carbines, rifles, and pistols for both civilian and law enforcement use. The company is particularly known for its Kriss Vector series, which features a patented recoil mitigation system called the Super V System. Kriss USA’s annual revenue is estimated at $13.8 million.

The Kyrgyz firm responsible for the customs clearance of the Kriss carbines was Azhy Mamat Kompani LLC (OsOO) (ОсОО «Ажы Мамат Компани») whose registered owner is Sergey Anatolyevich Zharnovnikov, born in 1978. His name and birth details match those of the suspected arms smuggler arrested in the U.S.

On Nov. 15, 2023, Azhy Mamat Kompani obtained a certification for Kriss DMK22C and Vector CRB G2 carbines. Two months later — on Jan. 18, 2024 — Moscow-based Aurora LLC (ООО «Аврора») received Russian import documents for 25 Kriss Vector CRB carbines — likely shipped by one of four other firms also linked to Zharnovnikov.

Thousands of firearms and millions of rounds of ammunition

The sole listed owner of Aurora LLC, the Russian company that received the carbines, is Nikolay Valentinovich Nefyolov, who is connected to two additional Russian firearms importers. He directly owns 34% of Novo-Obninsk-Import LLC (ООО «Ново-Обнинск-Импорт»), while its co-owner and general director, Vadim Borisovich Kostenko, holds a 36% stake in Automatic Systems of Kaluga LLC (ООО «Автоматические Системы Калуги»).

In May 2023, The Insider reported on these companies in an investigation into the smuggling of American and Austrian-made Glock pistols into Russia. Aurora has imported 545 pistols since the war began, while Novo-Obninsk-Import has brought in 35.

Between February 2022 and February 2024, the three identified Russian companies imported a total of 1,176 firearms and 1.117 million rounds of ammunition into the country.

Beyond the synchronized certification of Kriss Vector CRB G2 carbines, Azhy Mamat Kompani (Company) has been linked to at least four additional firearm shipments by Russian arms importers — including companies linked to Russian arms dealer Mikhail Khubutia.

Most of the weapons imported by Aurora and Novo-Obninsk-Import — including pistols and small-caliber carbines — are designed for short-range shooting, making them suitable for both civilian use and the security services, rather than for actual warfare. However, exceptions exist.

On Dec. 27, 2022, Aurora LLC imported five Desert Tech HTI sniper rifles chambered in .375 Chey Tac, designed for long-range shooting beyond 2 km. The Insider has published evidence that these sniper rifles are being used by at least two Russian military divisions.

Sanctions enforcement

The Insider has previously reported on large-scale arms and ammunition smuggling operations supplying Russia from the U.S. and the European Union via Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. European companies are also involved, as Russian arms dealer Mikhail Khubutia remains a business partner of Beretta Holding, which is registered in Luxembourg. However, unlike the U.S., European regulatory agencies have not announced any enforcement actions against these violations of the arms embargo.

There are also concerns that sanctions enforcement in the U.S. may weaken.

The KleptoCapture interagency task force, which led the investigation into Zharnovnikov’s case and was responsible for sanctions enforcement, was dismantled on Feb. 6, just over two weeks after Donald Trump was sworn back into office.