Toronto company owner arrested for alleged violation of sanctions against Russia – State
A Toronto man’s company allegedly transported drone parts to Russia has been arrested for violating sanctions, according to documents obtained by Global News.
Anton Trofimov is charged with two counts of evading the thorough sanctions imposed by Canada on Russia in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 43-year-old has been accused of providing the Russian military with an Asia-Pacific company and is accused of intentional possession of criminal proceeds.
The RCMP has arranged for a press conference in London, Ontario. On Wednesday, it was announced that what they called Canada’s first prosecution was for violating Canadian sanctions against Russia.
Police did not release any other details about the case. The RCMP could not be contacted for comment, and it is not clear that their announcement is related to Trofimov.
But court records obtained by the Global News show say Trofimov was charged on May 5 with two counts of violating Canada’s economic measures against Russia.
The charges alleged that Trofimov exports, sells, supplies or transports restricted goods and technologies to Russia between July 17 and December 8, 2022.
He appeared in Ontario Court in Toronto last Thursday and was released on a $5,000 cash deposit, according to court records.
Jessica Davis, a Canadian government intelligence analyst and terrorist financing expert, said prosecutions for violations of sanctions “very rare in Canada.”
“Although Canada is very active in sanctioning individuals and entities, sanctions activities are rarely actually occurring and undermining,” she said.
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Instead, Canada tends to rely on its partners in the United States to identify sanctions violations and prosecute those responsible.
“This is a step in the right direction, but these protections have proven challenging in the past, so the outcome remains to be seen,” Davis said.
Canada, with allies, banned the export of sensitive goods to Russia in response to Putin’s war against Ukraine.
Still, weapons found on the battlefield, such as attack drones, suggest that Russia still managed to obtain the parts needed to supply its troops.
Trofimov is a Russian national who owns a house in Toronto and lives in Hong Kong. He was approved by the U.S. Treasury Department in May 2023.
His Asia Pacific Line Company was established in Hong Kong in 2014 and was also approved for suspected supply of Russian troops.
Three other companies allegedly associated with Trofimov were also approved by the United States, including 10219452 Canada in Toronto.
The U.S. Trofimov’s company is a “procurement network designed to acquire technology” for Russia’s Orlan-10 drone.
The Orlan-10 is a medium-sized reconnaissance drone that Russian forces have widely used in Ukraine to identify targets for artillery and rocket strikes.
Ukraine’s Canadian Parliament wrote to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Security in 2023, demanding alleged violations of sanctions against Trofimov.
“The evidence shows that Canadian residents are involved in the supply of technology used by Russia to murder Ukrainians has attracted great attention,” wrote the President of the State Alexandra Chyczij.
A photo released by the Ukrainian military shows the wreckage of an Iranian Shah drone described as being shot down near Kupiansk, Ukraine. (Ukrainian military through AP/FILE’s Strategic Communications Bureau).
Asia Pacific Links Ltd. is said to have provided St. Petersburg company SMT-ilogic, which in turn sent parts to the manufacturer’s special technology center for Orlan-10.
The Special Technology Center is also on the sanctions list in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ukraine because of its “important role” in “Russian armed aggression against Ukraine.”
The other two companies are allegedly linked to Trofimov, IPS Pacific Company Ltd. and Shenzhen Yantu Import and Export Co., Ltd., and are also approved for providing Russia’s drone program.
A joint investigation by Royal United Services Institute and Reuters said Trofimov’s company is SMT-ilogic’s “largest microelectronics supplier” since February 2022.
The Toronto resident company had allocated $5 million worth of microelectronics to SMT-ilogic in the first eight months of the Ukrainian war.
It uses the acronym of the drone, saying: “These cargo includes items that are essential to the Orlan-10 drone.”
stewart.bell@globalnews.ca
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