Toronto man accused of providing Russia's drone program is the first to face sanctions
On May 9, Russian troops marched tanks, armored vehicles and missiles through Red Square, and the man who passed through the Ukrainian war, President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow's Victory Day parade also demonstrated for the first time military drones that were essential to Putin's invasion. But Russian drones are not really Russians.
They are built from electronics purchased from global purchasing networks that allegedly rely on suppliers in several countries, including Canada.
Last week, Global News revealed that the RCMP arrested a Toronto businessman, allegedly exporting restricted goods to Russia in the months after Putin launched his full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022.
The RCMP has now confirmed that Anton Trofimov was detained on May 22. He was accused of selling materials to Moscow, which could be used to make weapons.
The arrest is the first in the Economic and Economic Measures Act (SEMA) (SEMA), which in 2014 introduced export controls to Moscow in response to Russian military intervention.
“We can confirm that this is the first prosecution under SEMA based on Russian regulations,” said the Canadian spokesman's Public Prosecution Service.
The allegations did not mention drones, but Trofimov and his company were approved by the United States in 2023 for allegedly transporting microelectronics to Russian military drone manufacturers.
Global News cannot comment with Trofimov or his attorney. He was released on bail after issuing a $5,000 deposit and plans to return to Toronto court on June 30.
The RCMP said it is planning a “earliest availability” press conference to announce what is called “important documents” but will not answer questions about its investigation.
“Canada's sanctions regime has made a key contribution to international stability, as trade in certain technologies and equipment may pose serious risks in maintaining international peace and global security,” the RCMP said in a statement.
“It is the responsibility of individuals and businesses to ensure that the ultimate destination of all exports does not fall under these sanctions. The RCMP will continue to pursue individuals or groups trying to profit from illegal trade.”
The Ukrainian Embassy in Ottawa said it welcomes Canada's sanctions efforts to “restrict Russia's ability to promote its war machine.”
“Sanctions must not only be adopted, but must be strictly implemented to make it an effective tool to prevent further aggression and atrocities,” the embassy said in a global news statement.
“Any attempt to provide Russia with technology that can be used in its illegal war against Ukraine must have a quick and decisive consequence.”
“Creat Rise” in Drone Attacks
On August 30, 2023, residents cleaned up the Russian rocket and drone attack (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) after the Russian rocket and drone attack.
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Russia has intensified drone attacks on major centers in recent weeks as U.S. President Donald Trump talked about ending the war but failed to produce any results.
“The attacks on Ukraine, its civilians and its cities have seen a huge increase. Most of them are drones,” said Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO of the Canadian Congress of Ukraine.
The United Nations Commission reported on May 28 that drone attacks on civilians in southern Ukraine are common and systematic and qualifying as crimes against humanity.
Michalchyshyn said it was “extremely” that Canadian companies might be involved in Russia's production of Ukrainian civilians.
“So it’s a good sign to see the RCMP and Canadian authorities taking it seriously because we think there’s definitely more.”
International sanctions severely restrict the export of military technology to Russia, but Iran helped Moscow produce drones, and Ukrainian troops shot down people filled with Western components.
To assemble the drone, the Russian military allegedly relied on an international network that purchased electronic products and shipped them to a factory in St. Petersburg.
Trofimov, 43, runs a number of numbered companies registered in Toronto and Hong Kong, which have been approved for their ties to the Russian military drone program.
His business is accused of providing electrical components used in Orlan-10, a widely deployed drone in Ukraine to identify targets of artillery and rocket attacks.
The charges filed in Ontario court alleged that he had violated sanctions since July 2022, and Putin sent the armed forces to Kiev for five months.
The alleged violation lasted until December 2022 – The Royal Joint Service Academy published a report in the month naming Trofimov as the top supplier of Russian drone parts.
“Part of the Procurement Network”
The Oran drone was installed on a truck at the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025.
The report said Trofimov's Asia Pacific Line is “the largest supplier to date” SMT-logic, a Russian company approved in 2016.
The report said that SMT's distinctive imported materials were materials from a special technology center, which produced Orlan-10 and was closely related to the Russian military.
The report said Trofimov's Asia-Pacific region accounted for a quarter of SMT-logic imports in 2022 and increased delivery after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The report cites trade data and sent 800 “export-controlled four-wheel band cellular modules” to SMT-Transparency between June 2022 and August 2022.
It says these same parts are often used in Orlan-10 drones or drones. “Other shipments for 2022 include components found in the Orlan-10 UAV.”
After the publication of the Rusi report, the Ukrainian Canadian Parliament sent a letter about Trofimov to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Security in Ottawa.
The letter said his actions appeared to violate Canada's export controls, “The activity could also constitute a criminal offence as it appears to be a crime of intentional violation of Canadian sanctions.”
In May 2023, the United States approved Trofimov and the Asia-Pacific region, accusing them of being “part of the procurement network designed to acquire technology for the Oran drone at the special technology center.”
The United States claims the Asia-Pacific region is “the largest microelectronics supplier of SMT-logic and has exported millions of dollars worth of parts as part of this procurement network.”
A third company, the 10219452 Canadian company, was also sanctioned because it was owned by Trofimov. Founded in 2017, the company is still listed as “active” in Canadian government records.
In addition to two counts of evading sanctions, Trofimov was also charged with intentional possession of the proceeds of the crime, which had a maximum profit of 10 years.
For its part, Ukraine also used drones to attack Moscow. On Sunday, Ukraine claimed that a complex drone attack had damaged 41 strategic bombers at an air base deep in Russia.
stewart.bell@globalnews.ca
