On May 9, Russian troops paraded their tanks, armoured vehicles and missiles through Red Square, past the man who sent them to war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin.
The Victory Day procession in Moscow also showcased, for the first time, the military drones that have proven indispensable to Putin’s invasion. But Russian drones are not really Russian on the inside.
They are built out of electronics purchased around the world by a global procurement network that allegedly relies on suppliers in several countries, including Canada.
Last week, Global News revealed the RCMP had arrested a Toronto businessman for allegedly exporting restricted goods to Russia in the months after Putin launched his 2022 full-scale attack on Ukraine.
The RCMP has now confirmed that Anton Trofimov was taken into custody on May 22. He has been accused of selling materials to Moscow that could be used to make weapons.
The arrest is the first under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA), which placed export controls on Moscow in 2014 in response to Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
“We can confirm that this is the first prosecution under SEMA based on the Russia regulations,” said Nathalie Houle, a Public Prosecution Service of Canada spokesperson.
The charges do not mention drones, but Trofimov and his companies were sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023 for allegedly shipping microelectronics to Russian military drone manufacturers.
Global News was unable to reach Trofimov or his lawyer for comment. He was released on bail after posting a $5,000 deposit and was scheduled to return to court in Toronto on June 30.
The RCMP said it was planning a news conference “at the earliest availability” to announce what it called the “important file” but would not answer questions about its investigation.
“Canada’s sanctions regime makes a critical contribution to international stability as trade in certain kinds of technology and equipment could pose serious risks in maintaining international peace and global security,” the RCMP said in a statement.
“Individuals and businesses are responsible for ensuring the end destination of all exports do not fall under these sanctions. The RCMP will continue to pursue individuals or groups who attempt to profit from illegal trade.”
The Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa said it welcomed Canada’s efforts to use sanctions to “limit Russia’s ability to fuel its war machine.”
“Sanctions must not only be adopted but rigorously implemented to remain an effective tool in deterring further aggression and atrocities,” the embassy said in a statement to Global News.
“Any attempts to supply Russia with technologies that can be used in its illegal war against Ukraine must be met with swift and decisive consequences.”
‘Huge uptick’ in drone attacks
Russia has ramped up drone attacks on major centres in recent weeks as U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken about wanting to end the war but has failed to produce any results.
“There’s been a huge uptick in attacks on Ukraine and its civilians and its cities. The majority of these are drones,” said Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
A United Nations commission reported on May 28 that drone attacks against civilians in southern Ukraine were widespread and systematic, and qualified as crimes against humanity.
Michalchyshyn said it was “outrageous” that Canadian companies might be involved in the production of the weapons Russia has used against Ukrainian civilians.
“So it’s a good signal to see that the RCMP and Canadian authorities are taking it seriously because we think there’s surely more to be found.”
International sanctions tightly restrict exports of military technology to Russia, but Iran has helped Moscow produce drones, and those downed by Ukrainian forces are packed with Western components.
To assemble its drones, the Russian military has allegedly relied on an international network that buys electronics and ships them to a plant in Saint Petersburg.
Trofimov, 43, operates a handful of numbered companies registered in Toronto and Hong Kong that have been sanctioned over their alleged ties to the Russian military drone program.
His businesses are accused of supplying electrical components used in the Orlan-10, a drone deployed extensively in Ukraine to pinpoint targets for artillery and rocket strikes.
The charges filed in the Ontario Court of Justice accuse him of breaching sanctions starting in July 2022 — five months after Putin sent his armed forces towards Kyiv.
The alleged violations continued until December 2022 — the month the Royal United Services Institute published a report naming Trofimov as a top supplier of Russian drone parts.
'Part of the procurement network'
The report alleged that one of Trofimov’s businesses, Asia Pacific Links, was “by far the largest supplier” to SMT-iLogic, a Russian firm sanctioned in 2016.
SMT-iLogic imports materials for the Special Technology Centre, which manufactures the Orlan-10 and is closely linked to the Russian military, the report said.
Trofimov’s Asia Pacific accounted for a quarter of SMT-iLogic imports in 2022, and deliveries increased following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to the report.
Citing trade data, the report said that between June and August 2022, Asia Pacific sent 800 “export-controlled quad-band cellular modules” to SMT-iLogic.
Those same parts are often used in Orlan-10 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, it said. “Other shipments in 2022 included components that have been found inside Orlan-10 UAVs.”
After the RUSI report was published, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress sent a letter about Trofimov to the ministers of foreign affairs and public safety in Ottawa.
The letter said his actions appeared to contravene Canada’s export controls, and “it is also possible that this activity constitutes a criminal offence, in that it appears to be a wilful contravention of Canadian sanctions.”
In May 2023, the U.S. sanctioned Trofimov and Asia Pacific, alleging they were “part of the procurement network working to obtain technology for Special Technology Center’s Orlan drones.”
The U.S. claimed Asia Pacific was “SMT-iLogic’s largest supplier of microelectronics, and has exported millions of dollars’ worth of components as part of this procurement network.”
A third company, 10219452 Canada Incorporated, was also sanctioned because it was owned by Trofimov. The company was created in 2017 and is still listed as “active” in Canadian government records.
In addition to two counts of sanctions evasion, Trofimov was charged with knowingly possessing the proceeds of crime, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years.
For its part, Ukraine has also used drones to strike Moscow. On Sunday, Ukraine claimed a complex drone attack had damaged 41 strategic bombers at airbases deep inside Russia.
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