Russian national charged in Toronto with illegally exporting goods to Russia [Video]

A man who lives in Toronto and runs a Hong Kong-based business that exports microelectronic parts is facing charges for allegedly violating Canada’s sanctions against Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine.

Anton Trofimov, 43, was arrested by the RCMP on May 5 and charged with one count of exporting a restricted good to Russia and one count of exporting a good to Russia for the purpose of manufacturing weapons, according to documents filed in the Ontario Court of Justice.

The charges fall under the federal Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations introduced in 2014 that were amended to add more punishing sanctions at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

“I do think it’s something that’s a long time coming,” said John Boscariol, a lawyer at McCarthy Tétrault in Toronto who focuses on international trade and advises companies on economic sanctions and export controls.

He says it is the first …