Czech Republic extradites Russian accused of weapons smuggling to Ukraine

Feb 28, 2006 (KIEV) — A Russian national wanted on illegal weapons trading charges, was extradited Saturday to Ukraine from the Czech Republic, Ukrainian authorities said last Saturday.

Oleg Orlov arrived on a flight to Boryspil airport outside the capital, Kiev, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olena Melnyk said.

Ukrainian authorities have accused Orlov of smuggling an unspecified number of missiles of at least two types to China in May 2000, using falsified documents. In January 2002, he allegedly also smuggled at least one P14F radiolocation station to Eritrea using fake documents which stated the recipient should have been Romania.

In both cases, Orlov allegedly delivered the weapons with state-run company Ukrspetseksport, Ukraine’s weapons exporting agency.

Until 2004, Orlov lived in Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic), where he applied for political asylum. After a refusal, he tried to leave for the United Arab Emirates. Orlov was arrested in Prague’s Ruzyne airport. The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic ruled to extradite Orlov to Ukraine.

Orlov was arrested in the Czech Republic in 2004, shortly after a warrant for his arrest was issued in Ukraine. His request for asylum was rejected, and a court ruled last year that he could be extradited.

(ST/AP)