Nikitin's Deportation From US Delayed For 2 Weeks After Flight To Russia Canceled - Lawyer

Umer Jamshaid Published December 04, 2021 | 12:20 AM

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th December, 2021) The deportation of� Russian national Oleg Nikitin, who was sentenced in the United States for violating export regulations, has been delayed for approximately two weeks after his flight home was canceled, his lawyer Alexey Tarasov told Sputnik on Friday.

"We were in contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement yesterday, and it appears that there is going to be a delay of approximately two weeks in Mr. Nikitin's removal. The officer said that ICE will work expeditiously, but the process takes time," Tarasov said.

US authorities brought Nikitin from a detention facility in the US state of Georgia to the airport in Atlanta on Thursday, the lawyer noted. However, the ticket was purchased for an Aeroflot flight from New York to Moscow that was later canceled.

"The Aeroflot flight schedule apparently changed for the winter months, and as a result, there was a connecting flight from Atlanta to New York that was missed as well," Tarasov explained.

The exact date of deportation will depend on processing, Tarasov noted.

"It just takes time for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to facilitate travel arrangements," he added. "Whenever somebody is deported, ICE is asked to facilitate the travel, and that includes purchasing tickets and in some instances actually arranging for escorts to be on the plane with him."

Nikitin apparently will wait for deportation at the same detention facility in Georgia, according to the lawyer.

In September, Nikitin was sentenced to 28 months in prison, which is nearly equivalent to the time he served in custody.

Nikitin served as general director of the St. Petersburg-based energy company KS Engineering (KSE). American authorities accused him of conspiring with his business partner Anton Cheremukhin, as well as three foreign nationals, to purchase a US-made power turbine worth $17.3 million in violation of US trade regulations. The turbine was to be employed on a Russian Arctic deep water drilling platform, according to the US Justice Department.