The U.S. government sanctioned KBR-Technologii, a company based in Kazakhstan, for allegedly providing drone components to Russia, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reports. These dual-use goods were transported from Kazakhstan to Russia through Belarus.
The U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sanctioned KBR-Technologii, which was founded on May 13, 2022, a few months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The company is registered in North Kazakhstan, near the Russian border, raising suspicions about its involvement in the supply chain.
Interestingly, the registration number linked to KBR-Technologii by OFAC corresponds to another company, MJ QAZAQ TRANS, established on the same date in Almaty by Marat Abishev, specializing in cargo transportation, with Daulet Malik as its CEO.
The OFAC data aligns with eGov.kz information only when the full name of KBR-Technologii is used. The company was initially registered on May 13 in Petropavlovsk, 60 kilometres from the Russian border, and re-registered on May 21, 2024. The current head is Dias Tugunbayev, succeeding former director Dmitry Gaikovich. The nature of KBR-Technologii's business is vaguely described as "wholesale trade with a wide range of goods," without further specification.
In February 2024, it was reported that KBR-Technologii was part of an illegal network supplying equipment for combat drone production to Russia via Belarus. Previously, the EU and U.S. sanctioned other Kazakhstan-based companies, Elem Group and Da Group 22, for their links to Russia.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade acknowledged being aware of the impending sanctions and stated that both Elem Group and Da Group 22 had halted their import and export activities in May and June 2023, respectively.
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