A court in Stuttgart, Germany, announced sentences for two German and Russian citizens accused of selling drone components to Russian companies in circumvention of European sanctions. This was reported on the website of the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart. The defendants in the case were in a relationship at the time the crimes were committed.
A 59-year-old businessman from the federal state of Saarland was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, his 54-year-old accomplice was sentenced to a year and nine months, with a suspended sentence . The court also ordered compensation in the amount of 880 thousand euros from them.
The man has been involved in the electronics trade for more than 15 years. From January 2020 to May 2023, he sold over 120 thousand components to companies from Russia that were associated with the production of military equipment, including Orlan-10 drones, the court decision says.
The seller supplied Russia with components purchased from manufacturers in the European Union and the USA. After the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he began to list companies from Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, the UAE and Turkey as buyers, but virtually all supplies went to Russia. After German customs authorities became aware of this practice, the man began declaring exports through Poland, Estonia and Lithuania.
The man's accomplice was the managing director of his company and participated in 14 of the 54 frauds. When sentencing her, the court considered the woman's poor health a mitigating circumstance.
The accused have been in custody since March 9, 2023. The man's arrest was extended, and his accomplice was released from custody in May.