A German court has sentenced a businessman to six years and nine months in prison for supplying electronic components to Russian firms linked to the production of military equipment, according to AP News.
The 59-year-old defendant, who holds dual German and Russian citizenship, was found guilty of violating export laws. The Stuttgart state court statement did not identify him in accordance with German privacy rules.
Another dual national, a 54-year-old woman tried as a co-defendant, was sentenced to one year and nine months’ probation. The court also ordered the confiscation of about 880,000 euros ($958,000), an amount corresponding to the proceeds of the sale.
According to the court, the main defendant traded electronic components for more than 15 years and managed two companies in the Saarland region of western Germany. It emerged that between January 2020 and May 2023, he had supplied a total of more than 120,000 components to companies in Russia that were related to the production of military equipment and accessories such as drones.
Accusation details
The judges found that after war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, the defendant tried to evade European Union sanctions by indicating on invoices and shipping documents that components were shipped to recipients in Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. However, all shipments were going to Russia.
The co-defendant, who was his partner and ran one of his companies, was accused of knowingly giving false information to suppliers on a number of occasions about the destination of components.
However, in June, the World Bank noted Russian GDP growth despite the scaling back of US sanctions on semiconductor chips and sanctions on Chinese companies co-operating with Russia. US President Joe Biden’s administration also expanded sanctions on the sale of semiconductor chips and other goods to Russia, targeting third-party sellers in China and elsewhere.
