According to U.S. law enforcement, Zharnovnikov arrived in the United States in January 2025, and on January 24, he was arrested in Las Vegas during the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, where he planned to meet with local firearms entrepreneurs. Charges against him were filed on February 5 in federal court in Brooklyn.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan reported that since Zharnovnikov's arrest, Kyrgyz consular offices have established contact with him and provided necessary assistance. "There has been ongoing communication with the citizen, and recommendations have been given to protect his rights and legitimate interests in accordance with international norms and U.S. legislation," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
Essence of the Charges:
According to the indictment, starting in March 2020, Zharnovnikov and his accomplices were involved in a scheme to export weapons controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) from America to Russia.
Zharnovnikov is the owner and CEO of a firearms company in Bishkek known as "Kyrgyz Company-1." He signed a five-year contract worth $900,000 with a firm from Chesapeake, Virginia, ("American Company-1") to purchase and export its products to Kyrgyzstan. Although the DOC issued a license for the export of weapons to Kyrgyzstan, re-export to Russia was strictly prohibited. However, it is alleged that Zharnovnikov organized the delivery of weapons from the U.S. through Kyrgyzstan to Russia. Among the exported goods were semi-automatic pistol rifles.
In 2021, a second Kyrgyz company associated with Zharnovnikov ("Kyrgyz Company-2") entered into a contract with a Russian arms dealer ("Russian Company-1") located in Moscow. The contract amount was $10 million, and in business correspondence from 2018, the Russian company referred to "Kyrgyz Company-1" as its "partner."
On February 3, 2021, the DOC issued an export license worth $800,000 for shipments of weapons from the U.S. to Kyrgyzstan, with a clear prohibition on further re-export.
On July 2, 2022, Zharnovnikov sent an email to his banker requesting payment on an invoice from "American Company-1," which contained information about 25 semi-automatic pistol rifles with unique serial numbers.
On July 4, 2022, "Kyrgyz Company-2" transferred $67,000 to the account of "Kyrgyz Company-1."
On July 5, 2022, "Kyrgyz Company-1" paid "American Company-1" $65,564, which constituted the full amount of the invoice.
On July 7, 2022, the U.S. electronic export control system (EEI) recorded the shipment of semi-automatic weapons to Kyrgyzstan through John F. Kennedy Airport, with a total value of $59,000.
On August 8, 2022, Zharnovnikov received a table titled "Delivery [American Company-1] ([Russian Company-1])" that listed the same serial numbers as in the documents from "American Company-1."
On November 14, 2022, the CEO of "Russian Company-1" signed a tax form for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), indicating that the seller was "Kyrgyz Company-2," and the buyer was a Russian company in Moscow. This document confirmed that the supplied weapons matched the semi-automatic pistol rifles previously exported from the U.S. Zharnovnikov did not request or receive permission for the re-export of weapons to Russia.
According to the Ministry of Justice of Kyrgyzstan, Sergey Zharnovnikov is the head of three companies in the country: OsOO THE GREAT HUNT (wholesale trade), OsOO "Azhy Mamat Company" (retail trade of specialized goods), and OsOO "Remoboronservis" (repair and maintenance of weapons and armaments).
