[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A Russian court sentenced two Chinese nationals to more than five years in prison for illegally smuggling parts of the Russian fighter jet Sukhoi-27 (Su-27).
According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 4th (local time), the Khimki court in Moscow region sentenced Zhao Xin, accused of illegally smuggling fuel distributors of the Su-27, to 5 years and 6 months in prison, and Li Hongliang, accused of the same charges, to 6 years in prison.
They are accused of contacting a Russian broker named Marina Zabialova through an online advertisement in 2018, then purchasing a fuel distributor for the Su-27 from a man and exporting it to China. The fuel distributor is an essential part to increase the output of the fighter jet engine and is a prohibited item for illegal export and technology leakage.
After confirming that the fuel distributor was defective, they demanded a refund from the trader, returned the distributor, and entered Russia to receive the money they had paid. It was also revealed that they later ordered a temperature sensor for the Su-27 through Zabialova.
However, Zabialova was actually an agent planted by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). They were caught by Russian authorities when they met at a caf? in Russia in 2019 to pay for the parts they ordered. TASS reported that they admitted to all charges.
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