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Court issues guilty verdict in case of smuggling parts for S-300 system to Ukraine

The court sentenced Denis Lobov to imprisonment for nine years and six months and Ararat Khachatryan to 10 years and five months

MOSCOW, July 28. /TASS/. The Rostov Regional Court sentenced Russian Denis Lobov to nine years and six months in prison, and Armenian citizen Ararat Khachatryan to ten years and five months in prison, for smuggling equipment for S-300 air defense launchers to Ukraine, having found them guilty of high treason and espionage, the public relations center of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) told TASS on Wednesday.

"The Rostov Regional Court has issued guilty verdicts to the citizen of the Russian Federation Denis Mikhailovich Lobov and the citizen of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Rubikovich Khachatryan, who were involved in the smuggling of classified radar equipment for the S-300 air defense systems from the territory of the Russian Federation to Ukraine. The court sentenced Lobov to imprisonment for nine years and six months and Khachatryan to 10 years and five months, respectively, under Article 275 ("High treason") and Article 276 ("Espionage") of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation," the official reported. They will serve their sentences in a maximum-security prison.

According to the FSB, Khachatryan and Lobov, in the interests of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, collected information about the so-called klystrons that are part of the S-300 air defense launcher, and transferred specific samples of products to Ukraine. Lobov kept the acquired radio-electronic equipment in the basement of his house, where he was engaged in pre-sale preparation.

"Khachatryan organized the illegal movement of klystrons to Ukraine through residents of the Russian-Ukrainian border area. The state-owned company Ukroboronprom was the final recipient of the klystrons," the FSB reported. In March 2020, Khachatryan arrived in Russia for another purchase of klystrons and was detained red-handed.

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