Ukrainian Man Trying to Obtain S-300 Parts Sentenced to 10 Years in Russia

An Ukrainian man who tried to buy parts of the S-300 air defense system (ADS) called Klystrons for $163,000 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The man, A.V. Marchenko, is accused of carrying out espionage activities. He was trying to smuggle the parts via a shell company in Macedonia to hand them over to Ukrainian intelligence. The man was arrested in April 2019, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement.

“We have obtained comprehensive evidence proving [Marchenko’s] links to the Ukrainian intelligence services, which operated with the aim to harm Russia’s national security,” the FSB statement said.

Klystron can amplify radio frequencies from ultra-high frequency to the microwave range and are used, among other things, in ADS radars that detect enemy aircraft and missiles.

The man allegedly paid Ukrainian intelligence service’s money to buy the classified parts. It will now be seized by the Russian authorities.

It is unclear if the parts that Marchenko tried to obtain were used in a newer generations of S-300s, such as the S-300V used by Russia, or in older models, such as the ones still operated by Ukraine.