Nikitin's Deportation From US To Russia Delayed Due To Problem With Flight - Lawyer

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2021) Russian national Oleg Nikitin, who was sentenced in the United States for violating export regulations, was escorted to an airport to be deportation but reverted back to prison due to an unspecified problem with his flight, Nikitin's lawyer Alexey Tarasov told Sputnik on Thursday.

"Oleg Nikitin was supposed to have been deported today from the United States to Russia, but it appears there was a problem with the flight," Tarasov said. "Once he was taken to the airport, he was then turned around and taken back to the facility because the flight, unfortunately, is not going to take off today."

Tarasov described the situation as dynamic and developing, noting that he does not know when his client will be able to leave the United States.

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). The US 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.