Kansas

Kansas businessman pleads guilty in case over illegal export of aviation technology to Russia

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

Kansas businessman pleads guilty in case over illegal export of aviation technology to Russia

TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas businessman has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting sensitive aviation technology to Russian companies in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Douglas Edward Robertson, who lives in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, was the second Kansas business executive to plead guilty to charges after being accused of smuggling, money laundering, violating U.S. export regulations, submitting false or misleading information to export regulators and conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., all for profit. Their arrests and the arrest of a Latvian associate in March 2023 came as the U.S. ramped up sanctions and financial penalties on Russia over its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Robertson, 56, entered his plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree in Kansas City. The judge set his sentencing for Oct. 3. Robertson pleaded guilty to four of the 26 counts against him and could face up to 20 years in prison for either the money laundering or export violations convictions.

According to prosecutors, starting in October 2020, the defendants sought to sell electronics that included threat detection systems and flight, navigation and communications controls, to two Russian aircraft parts distributors, a Russian aircraft repair firm and a Russian aircraft services company. They sought to hide their unlicensed activities by going through companies and using bank accounts elsewhere, including Armenia, Cyprus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates.

“Those who seek to profit by illegally selling sophisticated U.S. technology to our adversaries are putting the national security of our country at risk,” Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, said in a statement.

One of Robertson’s attorneys, Branden Bell, declined to comment when reached Wednesday.

U.S. export controls were meant to limit Russia’s access to computer chips and other products needed to equip a modern military. The indictment against Robertson said the electronics he and the other two men sought to export “could make a significant contribution” to another nation’s military.

Robertson, a commercial pilot, and Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, an aviation engineer from Lawrence, operated the KanRus Trading Co. together and worked with Oleg Chistyakov, a Latvian citizen who frequently traveled to the UAE, according to prosecutors.

Buyanovsky pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiring to launder money and one count of conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., and his sentencing is set for Nov. 14. There is no indication of whether Chistyakov has been taken into custody, and he has yet to enter a plea, according to online court records.

The indictment charging the three men lists nine exports of aviation electronics to Russian companies from February 2021 through December 2022 and attempts to export electronics once in February 2022 and twice in March 2023.

Prosecutors have said the U.S. government seized $450,000 in electronics blocked from export the day before Buyanovsky and Robertson were arrested.

“Robertson’s guilty plea is reflective of the strong evidence gathered against him by federal investigators and the solid case presented by federal prosecutors,” Kate E. Brubacher, the chief federal prosecutor in Kansas, said in a statement.

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Kansas

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

Published

4 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A rural Kansas fire department says it saw yet another increase in calls in 2025.

On Tuesday, Butler County Fire District #3 posted data about last year on social media.

It responded to 782 alarms in 2025, which is a new record.

The majority of the calls were for rescue and emergency medical services, followed by service calls.

Courtesy: Butler County Fire District #3

The department’s data show the number of calls has been trending upward over the last 20 years.

From 2006 to 2010, the department handled an an average of 550 calls a year. From 2021 through 2025, that average was 720, a 31% increase.

Courtesy: Butler County Fire District #3

Officials said continued growth in the community has increased the demand for emergency services.

“These numbers reinforce the importance of ongoing training, staffing, equipment planning, and community support to ensure we can continue to provide timely and effective service,” the department said on Facebook.

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Kansas

Clay County Commissioner says he’s ‘done’ negotiating with Kansas City Royals

Published

16 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Clay County Commissioner says he’s ‘done’ negotiating with Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Clay County Commissioner Jason Withington said Wednesday that he still loves baseball, but is “done” negotiating with the Royals on a new stadium for the team in the county.

According to Withington, Thursday, Jan. 8, was the deadline for the Royals to appear on the April 2026 ballot in the county.

Withington said the Royals told the county that they were not ready to meet that deadline.

Withington took to Facebook to explain that “the joy has been drained” out of him over the last few years and expressed his dislike towards the business of baseball.

He called negotiations with the team “a closed chapter” and said that the county is shifting its focus elsewhere.

“It’s time for the Commission to focus fully on priorities we control—either upgrading our existing county jail or building a new one,” Withington wrote.

The Royals’ lease at Kauffman Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex in Jackson County expires in January 2031.

KSHB 41’s political reporter Charlie Keegan reported in May 2025 on efforts by Missouri to keep both the Royals and Chiefs in Missouri.

While the Chiefs announced that they will move to a new stadium site in 2031 in Wyandotte County, the Royals have not announced their next steps to get a new ballpark built.

A stadium site near 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park has emerged as a possibility for a stadium site for the ball club.

Some residents in that area are not happy about that possibility.

KSHB 41 News reached out to the Royals for comment, but has not heard back.

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Kansas

Arizona-Kansas State free livestream: How to watch Big 12 basketball game, TV, time

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Arizona-Kansas State free livestream: How to watch Big 12 basketball game, TV, time

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The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats play against the Kansas State Wildcats in a Big 12 basketball game tonight. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. CT on FS1. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV. Alternatively, fans can purchase a monthly subscription offered by Fubo TV/Sling.

The Arizona squad has played at a high level this season, as it enters this matchup with a 14-0 record. The team is coming off a 97-78 win against the Utah Utes.

In order to win tonight’s game, Arizona will need to rely on its forward Koa Peat. He leads the team in scoring this season, as he averages more than 14 points per game.

The Kansas State squad enters this matchup with a 9-5 record, but the team is coming off an 83-73 loss against BYU.

In order to bounce back tonight, Kansas State will need a great performance from its guard P.J. Haggerty. He averages 23 points per game, which leads the team.

Fans can watch this Big 12 basketball game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV. Alternatively, fans can purchase a monthly subscription offered by Fubo TV/Sling.

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