Yana Leonova

Introduction

Yana Leonova, a 34-year-old Belarusian citizen who had most recently been residing in Russia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 12 months and one day in federal prison for unlawfully exporting U.S.-sourced avionics and other aircraft equipment to Russia. Also known as “Yana Liavonava,” she pleaded guilty to violating the Export Control Reform Act, the federal statute governing exports deemed important to American national security. Prosecutors said that Leonova and co-conspirators in the United States and Armenia moved dozens of aircraft components worth millions of dollars through a transshipment route deliberately designed to hide that the goods were bound for Russia while that country waged war against Ukraine.

Background Information

According to court documents, the aircraft components at the center of the case were intended for use on private jets and other aircraft operated or maintained by Leonova’s former employer, a company identified on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List for engaging in or enabling activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Leonova and her U.S. and Armenian co-conspirators procured the components from U.S.-based distributors and shipped them onward to Russia through Armenia.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted and sentenced. Leonova pleaded guilty on 20 May 2026 to violating the Export Control Reform Act and was sentenced on 28 October 2026 to 12 months and one day in federal prison, with deportation to Belarus ordered to follow.

Per court documents and admissions made during her plea hearing, the scheme took shape after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Leonova and her U.S. and Armenian co-conspirators procured aircraft components from U.S.-based distributors and unlawfully exported them from the United States to Russia via Armenia, resulting in dozens of aircraft components being shipped to Russia and millions of dollars being paid in return. Prosecutors said the transshipment route was devised to conceal that U.S.-origin components were bound for Russia and to evade U.S. export controls. Using companies located in Armenia, the group re-exported the components to Russia without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce, in violation of federal law. The exported items were for use on private jets and other aircraft operated or maintained by Leonova’s former employer, a company on the Commerce Department’s Entity List. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said Leonova used “shell companies, false documentation, foreign intermediaries, and overseas bank accounts” to conceal the unlawful exports and evade U.S. sanctions.

Leonova was extradited to the United States from France in November 2025 in connection with the case, with significant assistance provided by French authorities and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. She pleaded guilty on 20 May 2026 before Judge Loren L. AliKhan, and on 28 October 2026 received a sentence of 12 months and one day in federal prison, together with an order of deportation to Belarus. The prosecution was carried under case number 24cr421 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Public Reaction and Consequences

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said, “While Russia was waging war against Ukraine, Yana Leonova was smuggling U.S.-origin aircraft components to a company ultimately blacklisted by the U.S. government.” She added: “But no matter how complex the scheme or how many jurisdictions it crossed, investigators followed the evidence and brought her to justice.” Pirro warned that anyone who seeks to exploit U.S. supply chains should “take note: we will find you, pursue you across borders, and hold you accountable.” Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office said, “Those who attempt to hide behind shell companies, falsified documents, or any other form of evasion to move restricted U.S. goods and technology to our adversaries should understand that their actions will be uncovered,” and added that the case “reflects the diligent work of our agents and partners to identify, disrupt, and hold accountable anyone who seeks to undermine our nation’s security.” The case was investigated by FBI Kansas City and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement in Atlanta and New York.

Current Status

Leonova was sentenced on 28 October 2026 by Judge Loren L. AliKhan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to 12 months and one day in federal prison. In addition to the prison term, Judge AliKhan ordered that she be deported to Belarus following completion of her sentence. The conviction rests on her guilty plea of 20 May 2026 to violating the Export Control Reform Act, entered after her November 2025 extradition from France. The prosecution, carried under case number 24cr421, was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division, with prosecutors Emma Dinan Ellenrieder, John W. Borchert, and Acting Deputy Chief Sean R. Heiden handling the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen also provided significant assistance.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The sentence ends Leonova’s ability to remain in the United States, with deportation to Belarus ordered to begin after she completes her prison term. Her procurement activity drew the attention of federal investigators across multiple agencies and two continents, culminating in her extradition from France. The case also put a public spotlight on her former employer, a company the Commerce Department placed on its Entity List for activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. As Pirro put it, the scheme would not survive “no matter how complex” it was or “how many jurisdictions it crossed,” because investigators “followed the evidence and brought her to justice.”

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, “Belarusian Woman Sentenced in D.C. for Illegally Exporting U.S.-Sourced Aviation Components to Russia” — source