- Summary - Companies - Extreme Networks says Reuters discovery leads it to believe its products were shipped to "bad actors" in Russia - Extreme Networks says it is informing U.S. authorities of export-control violation - Extreme Networks says distributor played role in "scheme" - Extreme Networks supplied equipment used in MMZ Avangard's office IT systems - MMZ Avangard is maker of missile used in recent Ukraine attack WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, American companies have been prohibited from dealing with MMZ Avangard, a state-owned firm that makes missiles for one of Russia's most sophisticated weapons, the S-400 air-defense system.But even as the United States was taking actions to blunt MMZ Avangard's business, a publicly traded American technology company, Extreme Networks (EXTR.O), was providing MMZ Avangard with computer networking equipment for its office IT systems, according to emails and other business records seen by Reuters, as well as interviews with people familiar with the matter.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com In a statement to Reuters, Extreme said that based on information provided by the news agency it believed equipment "may have" been sold to MMZ Avangard using a surrogate buyer.Between 2017 and 2021, MMZ Avangard obtained over half a million dollars' worth of Extreme equipment for its IT systems, according to the business records reviewed by Reuters and the people familiar with the matter.That a Russian military company, identified as a threat by Washington, continued to acquire U.S. computer hardware is a case study in how Western countries may have overestimated their ability to choke the Russian economy with export bans and trade sanctions."