Russian governor’s son on the run after escaping house arrest in Italy

A Russian entrepreneur accused of smuggling American technology to Russian arms manufacturers has escaped house arrest in Italy 24 hours after a court approved his extradition to the United States, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa reported THURSDAY.

Artyom Uss, 40, son of the governor of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region, was one of five Russians detained at Milan Malpensa airport at the request of Washington on October 17, 2022, for “illegal plans to export powerful “American military technologies to Russia.

“On the afternoon of March 22, the Russian manager broke his electronic bracelet and left his apartment in Basiglio,” La Stampa wrote, referring to a town in the suburbs of Milan where Uss was under house arrest.

“When the carabinieri (law enforcement) arrived there was already no trace left,” wrote La Stampa,

An Italian court on Monday approved his extradition to the United States.

Uss’s defense appealed on Monday, but the Italian court rejected it and approved his extradition.

Uss faces a number of charges in the United States, including sanctions violations and money laundering, which could see him sentenced to decades in prison.

He pleaded innocent and asked the court to be handed over to Russia.