Photo credit: mos.ru (CC BY 4.0)
Oleg Nikitin, a Russian citizen convicted in the United States, has returned home, TASS reports. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate American anti-Russian sanctions.
According to Russia's Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, the fight for his release continued for two years. She noted that it was thanks to the Russian special services and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Nikitin was able to get back home. Many appeals, petitions and statements were filed in his defense, Moskalkova stressed.
In the United States, Nikitin, the director of the Russian company KS Engineering, was accused of trying to acquire an American-made power turbine for more than $17 million. Washington is confident that such supplies could harm the US national security.
Nikitin pleaded guilty, otherwise he was threatened with a five-year prison term and heavy fines. He was sentenced to 28 months in prison, which was equal to the term that he had already served.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called Nikitin another victim of American Russophobia. According to the representative of the Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, he thanked the Russian diplomats for their help and support.
Russkiy Mir
