Media: Five people in Germany arrested for illegally exporting goods to Russian defense companies
On Monday, five people in Germany were arrested on suspicion of illegally exporting goods to Russia, including shipments to Russian defense companies, violating EU sanctions against Moscow.
According to a statement from the Karlsruhe Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, since the war in Ukraine began, they have "at least" sent 16,000 shipments to Russia, valued at about 30 million euros.
The prosecutors believe that this supply network "is likely managed by Russian government agencies," with recipients including "at least 24 defense companies listed in Russia."
AFP reported that the investigation was conducted by German customs officers in cooperation with the Federal Intelligence Service (BND). Details about the delivered contents were not disclosed.
German Finance Minister Lars Kleinert responded in a statement: "Those who circumvent the sanctions and make secret agreements with Russian defense companies must be prepared for tough measures from our rule of law."
All five suspects are German citizens, two of whom also hold Russian nationality, and one holds Ukrainian nationality.
The prosecutors suspect they are "members of a criminal network" and are accused of carrying out "export operations in violation of foreign trade laws."
They obtained materials needed by Russian industry through a trading company in the port of Lübeck and then exported them to Russia.
To hide their activities, they used "at least" one shell company and some "fake buyers," as well as a Russian receiving company, whose director was one of the five suspects.
Investigators conducted multiple searches domestically, especially in Frankfurt and Nuremberg.
The investigation also involves another five suspects who are currently at large.
The arrested individuals will be interrogated by a judge at the Karlsruhe Federal Court on Tuesday, and the judge will decide whether to place them in temporary detention.
EU economic sanctions against Russia include a ban on exporting certain goods, particularly military equipment and dual-use products for civilian and military purposes.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856049283698889/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.