A clandestine unit of Russia’s military intelligence has been running a front-company network out of Tokyo to supply sanctioned technology for Russian missiles and drones, The New York Times reported July 12 in an investigation drawing on current and former Western intelligence officials.
The operation is directed by the GRU’s 20th Directorate, a covert unit not previously identified in open reporting. At its center is Maksim Vladimirovich Filchenkov, 49, a veteran officer of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) operating under cover as an Aeroflot employee from the airline’s 22nd-floor Tokyo office since arriving in Japan in February 2024.
Ukraine’s Presidential Sanctions Commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk told Kyodo News in late June that approximately 90% of Russian missiles and drones contain Japanese-made components, including parts found in the Kh-101, a long-range air-launched cruise missile.
The components are largely civilian dual-use goods and are difficult to restrict under standard export controls. They are routed through third countries, including Vietnam, to circumvent Japan’s export restrictions imposed after Russia’s February 2022 invasion, according to the investigation.
Japan’s high-tech manufacturing base and weak anti-espionage legislation made it an attractive destination for GRU officers expelled from Western capitals following the invasion. Dozens subsequently relocated to Japan, Western officials said.
The Tokyo operation mirrors a pattern documented elsewhere in Europe. Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office in February 2026 announced arrests tied to a Lübeck-based firm that had funneled dual-use technology to at least 24 Russian defense contractors.
Japan has begun moving to close those legal gaps. Parliament passed the National Intelligence Council Establishment Act on May 27, creating new counter-intelligence coordinating authorities.
Two days before the Times piece published, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration proposed legislation to allow warrantless communications interception, a step Japan has not previously authorized.
