Eastern District of New York Prosecutor Joseph Nocella Jr., FBI representative Terrence Riley, and Jonathan Carson from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security made a statement regarding the conviction.
According to the investigation, Zharnovnikov, acting through a company in Bishkek, had been supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia since March 2020, violating American restrictions. In one instance, he signed a $900,000 contract with an American firm to supply weapons to Kyrgyzstan, while the license prohibited resale and export to Russia. Nevertheless, he sent part of the goods to Russia, including semi-automatic weapons.
There is also information that Zharnovnikov re-exported five rifles from another American company to Russia via Kyrgyzstan. These rifles are alleged to have been used by Russian snipers, including in the conflict in Ukraine.
Furthermore, according to the investigation, he was involved in organizing the supply of American ammunition through Italy: 13,000 cartridges worth $23,000 arrived in Bishkek, although the license required that they remain in Italy. Nonetheless, the ammunition was exported to Kyrgyzstan and was intended for further shipment to Russia.
The court proceedings were presided over by Federal Judge Hector Gonzalez, and the investigation was conducted jointly with FBI agents and officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security.
