Florida
On the coast of southeast Florida, there is another man living in a smart suburban home right behind a nature reserve that has supplied Russia’s drone program.
Igor Kazdan, a 41-year-old US-Russian citizen, owns a company, IK Tech, that sold nearly $2.2 million worth of electronics to Russia between 2018 and 2021, Russian customs records show, more than 90% of which went to iLogic were sold.
Russian customs records show that IK Tech sold approximately 1,000 US-made circuit boards to iLogic between October 2020 and October 2021, at a time when federal law prohibited the Special Technology Center from selling any such technology directly or through another company. supply was banned.
The boards, worth approximately $274,000, were made by Gumstix, a California manufacturer. The California company told Reuters it was “very concerned” to hear about the shipment and would investigate. It said it does not have customers based in Russia nor any products or services for Russia, adding, “We will take all appropriate actions to address any identified diversion of products from legitimate end-uses.” “
Photos taken by Ukrainian officials inside a captured drone and seen by Reuters show a Gumstix board that is nearly identical to the boards shipped by IK Tech. The board is part of the Orlan 10’s control unit, according to a list of components found on another drone supplied to RUSI and Reuters by the Ukrainian government.
Kazdan’s activities attracted the attention of the American authorities. Just two weeks before Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine and Orlan drones buzzed overhead, federal agents arrested Kazdan. He was later indicted on 13 counts of smuggling and evading export controls while selling electronic equipment to Russia between December 2021 and February 2022.
The indictment related to selling sophisticated amplifiers made by US-based Corvo that required an export license to Russia. It is unclear from court documents whether US officials were aware of the final destination of the products. Corvo amplifiers, which are often used in radar, communications and radio equipment, have been found in the Orlan drone’s radio communication circuits, according to Ukrainian authorities. In a statement to Reuters, Corvo said the “stated destination” of the parts mentioned in the case was a distributor in Florida. It added: “Corvo has never done business or had any relationship with IK Tech or Igor Kazdan, and the company’s products were exported and used without our knowledge.”
In November 2022, after Kazdan pleaded guilty to two charges, a federal judge sentenced him to three years’ probation, fined him $200, and ordered him to pay nearly $7,000 in restitution. If convicted on all counts, Kazdan could have faced up to 40 years in prison.
Speaking at the door of his Dania Beach, Florida, home, Kazdan, dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt with a scruffy beard, said the scale of his exports to Russia was minimal compared to other companies when he was placed He may be assisting Russia’s drone program.
Kazdan said, “I don’t think whatever it is, it’s such a big deal that you should be writing this story.” “It’s just comical.”
Beyond that, he wouldn’t talk about the case or its shipment to Russia.
At his November 2022 sentencing hearing, Kazdan told a Southern Florida district judge that he began doing business with Russia after making contacts with importers at a 2016 satellite conference. Soon after, importers convinced them to meet reporting and licensing requirements, he said.
The US Justice Department declined to comment on the case.