Washington, 3 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) - US authorities on Thursday said they have arrested two men accused of a years-long scheme to illegally export technology to Russia, circumventing export laws imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The US Department of Justice alleged the men supplied Western avionics equipment to Russian companies and provided repair services for equipment used in Russian-manufactured aircraft.

Since 2020, the defendants conspired to evade export laws by concealing and misstating the true end users, value and end destinations of their exports and by transshipping items through third-party countries, the department said.

In one case, the pair concealed the true end user and end destination by providing a fraudulent invoice, stating the end destination as Germany. In other cases, avionics were sent via Armenia and Cyprus to Russia without obtaining the required licenses, the department alleged.

The pair have been charged with conspiracy, exporting controlled goods without a license, falsifying and failing to file electronic export information, and smuggling goods contrary to US law. If convicted, they face between five and 20 years in prison for each count.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began just over a year ago, the US and other allies have imposed harsh sanctions on Moscow to weaken the economy and make it harder for the country to obtain supplies for the