Russian sentenced to 13 years for smuggling aircraft parts to Ukraine

A Moscow court has sentenced a 59-year-old Russian citizen to 13 years in prison for trying to smuggle aircraft spare parts into Ukraine.

Russia’s federal security service, FSB, announced the ruling in a statement on Friday.

According to the security agency, the man obtained aerial detections in Russia and attempted to take them out of the country.

The FSB said the components were used in Mi combat helicopters, as well as Su and MiG military aircraft.

The agency said the suspect intended to deliver the parts to a company involved in maintaining military planes and helicopters for Ukrainian forces.

Russian authorities have described the case as part of a broader pattern of recently halted Ukraine-related activities against Russia.

The FSB also said it had previously foiled large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks on Ukrainka, Shagol and Rostov-Central military airports.

The ruling comes amid ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides paying increased attention to military logistics, aviation equipment and security operations.