In Stuttgart, two businessmen with dual German and Russian citizenship are on trial for circumventing sanctions. They are accused of supplying 10 Orlan unmanned aerial vehicles to the Russian Armed Forces.
According to bes.media, the main defendant in the case is a 59-year-old businessman who runs two companies. It is reported that he has been in custody since March 2023.
“It is believed that he deceived his American suppliers by assuring them that components, including transmitters, microchips, and insulators worth a total of €875,000 euros, would remain in Germany”, the report states.
He then delivered the parts to shell companies in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the UAE. From there, they were sent to Russian military suppliers.
“According to the indictment, the man repackaged the shipments to disguise the fact that they were subject to Russian sanctions and, therefore, required an export licence. He did not declare the goods to the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control”, the publication reports.
The other defendant, a 53-year-old woman, is accused of assisting the main suspect. It is alleged that she told American suppliers the components were intended for her own company and provided false documentation.
It is noted that in February 2024, the European Union published a package of sanctions against Russia and companies from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, Iran, Turkey, and other countries linked to Russia.
The sanctions lists included the Kazakh company LLP "Elem Group". It is suspected of “supporting the Russian military-industrial complex” and “participating in the circumvention of trade restrictions”.