Home / Armenia / Russian Citizen Detained in Yerevan Wanted by US since May, Armenia’s Police Say

Russian Citizen Detained in Yerevan Wanted by US since May, Armenia’s Police Say

Sergey Mironov, a 30-year-old Russian citizen who was detained by Armenian security forces in Yerevan's Zvartnots airport Friday, has been wanted by the US government since May 11 for alleged money laundering and illegal transfer of military technology, according to an official statement issued by Armenian's police Monday, August 29.

Speaking to RFE/RL's Armenian service, however, Mironov's wife, Yulia Mironova, claimed that the accusations against her husband were baseless and the US only wanted to “get some information from him.” Mironov, according to his wife, works as a Head of Technology at the Moscow office of Belarusian Synesis IT company. “He is involved in video analytics; this program ensures the security of some of the largest facilities in Moscow – the metro, the railway, i.e, places with large gatherings of people. This program is responsible for the security of these areas, and I believe that the US perhaps wants to obtain some information from my husband [regarding this program] and needs some really serious grounds for transferring him to the United States. It's also possible that this is all a political pretext; I have no other explanation,” Mironova said.

The woman added that Armenia's security officials have told her that Mironov “is wanted by the Interpol;” however, the spouses “haven't received any such letters to our address in Russia” and until now had not had any problems with travelling abroad.