Belarusian Woman Sentenced to 1 Year and 1 Day in Washington Federal Court for Smuggling U.S. Aircraft Parts to Russia via Armenia Following Ukraine Invasion

Washington, United States

A Belarusian woman was sentenced to prison in a U.S. federal court on October 28 (local time) on charges of illegally exporting U.S.-origin avionics and aircraft components to Russia via Armenia following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced that Yana Leonova, 34, a Belarusian citizen who most recently resided in Russia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 12 months and one day in federal prison in connection with unlawfully exporting numerous avionics and other aircraft equipment from the United States to Russia. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia posted on its official X account on October 29 that Leonova was sentenced "yesterday."

Leonova, also known as "Yana Liavonava," pleaded guilty on May 20 before U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan to violating the Export Control Reform Act. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge AliKhan ordered that Leonova be removed to Belarus following the completion of her prison term.

U.S. Attorney Pirro: "We Will Track You Down Across Borders and Hold You Accountable"

"While Russia was waging war against Ukraine, Yana Leonova was smuggling U.S.-origin aircraft components to a company ultimately blacklisted by the U.S. government," said Jeanine Ferris Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. "She used shell companies, false documentation, foreign intermediaries, and overseas bank accounts to conceal the illegal exports and evade U.S. sanctions," Pirro said, adding, "No matter how complex the scheme, or how many jurisdictions it crossed, investigators followed the evidence to bring her to justice."

"Anyone seeking to exploit American supply chains to aid hostile regimes and compromise our national security should take note," she said. "We will find you, we will track you down across borders, and we will hold you accountable." U.S. Attorney Pirro also posted the same remarks on her official X account.

"Those who think they can hide behind shell companies, falsified documents, or any other form of evasion to transfer controlled U.S. goods and technology to our adversaries should understand that their actions will be exposed," said Chris Ormerod, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Kansas City Field Office. "This case demonstrates the diligent efforts of our agents and partner agencies to identify, disrupt, and hold accountable anyone attempting to undermine our nation's security," he said.

The FBI Kansas City Field Office also posted on its official X account that Leonova was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in connection with unlawfully exporting numerous avionics and other aircraft equipment from the United States to Russia.

Circuitous Export Route via Armenian Companies... Dozens of Components Sent to Russia

According to court records and Leonova's admissions at her plea hearing, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Leonova conspired with co-conspirators in the United States and Armenia to purchase aircraft components from U.S. distributors and unlawfully export them from the United States to Russia through Armenia. As a result, dozens of aircraft components were sent to Russia, and millions of dollars were paid in return.

According to prosecutors, Leonova and her co-conspirators devised a transshipment route to conceal that the U.S.-origin parts were destined for Russia and to evade U.S. export controls. They utilized companies in Armenia to reexport the parts to Russia without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The exported items were intended for private jets and other aircraft operated or serviced by Leonova's former employer. The company is listed on the U.S. Department of Commerce's Entity List for engaging in or facilitating activities contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.

Indictment: "Airbus Windows, Weather Radar, Fan Blades to Russia"

According to an indictment returned in September 2024 by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., Leonova worked as a logistics manager for "Russian Company-1," a private charter aircraft and helicopter operator headquartered in Moscow with a branch in Saint Petersburg, and was primarily responsible for procuring aircraft equipment on its behalf. According to the indictment, "Russian Company-1" was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Entity List in December 2023.

According to the indictment, Leonova conspired with a naturalized U.S. citizen who owned an aircraft parts supplier registered in Teterboro, New Jersey, as well as an entity located in Yerevan, Armenia, and its operator. The Armenian company, its operator, and its founder were also placed on the Entity List in December 2023.

The indictment identified the items they sent to Russia as two left and two right cockpit windows for Airbus aircraft, one multi-scan weather radar unit, and two pairs of fan blades. According to the indictment, all of these items were anti-terrorism controlled items on the Commerce Control List (CCL), which, effective February 24, 2022, required an export license from the Department of Commerce for export or reexport to Russia.

According to the indictment, on May 31, 2022, Leonova sent an email to an Armenian co-conspirator asking to "please accept this new order from the airline and send an invoice for payment." An attached purchase order in the name of "Russian Company-1" indicated it was for an Airbus A321 aircraft in the company's fleet. The purchase order for the weather radar included a number matching the registration number of a Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft owned by "Russian Company-1."

According to the indictment, payments were wired from "Russian Company-1's" Russian bank account to the Armenian company's account, and Leonova emailed the payment confirmation to the Armenian co-conspirator. The Armenian company then wired funds to the U.S. company's bank account in New York. When shipping the goods to Armenia, the U.S. company omitted "Russian Company-1" from the information provided to the freight forwarder and caused Electronic Export Information (EEI) to be submitted for certain shipments falsely identifying the Armenian company as the ultimate consignee. According to the indictment, the freight forwarder in question had already suspended freight services to Russia, and the items were reexported from Armenia to Russia.

According to the indictment, the U.S. company's invoice amount for the Airbus window order was $58,500, and on June 8, 2022, the Armenian company wired $82,655 to the U.S. company's account in New York for the order. In connection with the weather radar order, on July 4, 2022, the Armenian company wired $297,000 to the U.S. company's account, and on July 5, the U.S. co-conspirator wired $235,000 to a supplier in Washington State. According to the indictment, when requesting a quote from the supplier, the U.S. co-conspirator asked, "Please advise if this unit has any dual-use or military applications." In connection with the fan blade order, the Armenian company wired $100,000 on July 12, 2022, $100,500 on July 14, and $100,000 on July 19 to the U.S. company's New York account, with wire records referencing the corresponding order number. According to the indictment, one pair of fan blades was exported from the United States to Armenia on August 2, 2022, and subsequently reexported to Russia on August 31 of the same year.

Mandatory Export Licenses for All Controlled Items Following Russian Invasion

According to the indictment, the Export Control Reform Act was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, signed by the President on August 13, 2018, providing permanent statutory authority for the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Through these regulations, the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) restricts the export and reexport of items determined to make a significant contribution to the military potential or nuclear proliferation of other countries, or that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States.

According to the indictment, entities placed on the Entity List are subject to individual licensing requirements based on determinations that they have engaged in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, BIS implemented a series of stringent export controls to deprive Russia of the technologies and goods needed to sustain its aggression against Ukraine. Effective April 8, 2022, a license requirement was imposed on all items listed on the Commerce Control List for export, reexport, or transfer to Russia.

Extradited from France in November 2025

Leonova was extradited from France to the United States in November 2025 in connection with the case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced on November 4, 2025, that Leonova had been extradited from France "yesterday" on an indictment charging conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, conspiracy to smuggle goods, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to defraud the United States, and that she made her initial appearance in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that day.

U.S. Attorney Pirro stated at the time: "This defendant sought to enrich herself by circumventing U.S. law to procure and unlawfully export avionics and other prohibited equipment from the United States to Russia. She utilized intermediary nations to obscure the identity of Russian end users who require licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce."

Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, said at the time: "Keeping American technology out of the hands of adversaries is a top priority for the FBI. Anyone seeking to assist hostile nations in acquiring export-controlled technology should take today's indictment as a warning: the FBI and our partners will find you and bring you to justice, no matter where you are." He also urged private-sector partners to play a crucial role in safeguarding national security by reporting violations.

Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement (BIS/OEE), stated at the time: "BIS's Office of Export Enforcement is unwavering in our commitment to protecting U.S. national security and ensuring the integrity of our export control regime. Working closely with our law enforcement and international partners, we will continue to identify and dismantle illicit procurement networks wherever they operate."

FBI and Department of Commerce Coordination... French Authorities Assisted in Extradition

The case was investigated by the FBI Kansas City Field Office and the Atlanta and New York field offices of the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emma Dinan Ellenrieder and John W. Borchert of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, and Acting Deputy Chief Sean R. Heiden of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen provided valuable assistance.

French authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in the extradition. The U.S. Department of Justice announced: "We deeply appreciate the support of our French allies."

Sources (KST)

• U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia press release, "Belarusian Woman Sentenced in D.C. for Illegally Exporting U.S.-Sourced Aviation Components to Russia" (2026-10-28): https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/belarusian-woman-sentenced-dc-illegally-exporting-us-sourced-aviation-components-russia
• U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia press release, "Belorusian Citizen Arrested for Illegally Exporting U.S.-Sourced Aviation Components to Russia" (2025-11-04): https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/belorussian-citizen-arrested-illegally-exporting-us-sourced-aviation-components-russia
• U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Indictment (United States v. Yana Leonova, 1:24-cr-00421): https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/media/1416881/dl
• U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia official X post (2026-10-29): https://x.com/USAO_DC/status/2115785252798869990
• U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro official X post (2026-10-29): https://x.com/USAttyPirro/status/2115785532185710964
• FBI Kansas City Field Office official X post (2026-10-29): https://x.com/FBIKansasCity/status/2115888969724383275