German customsmen destroy chain exporting goods to Russian military industry

German customs officials have arrested five men under suspicion of violating the European Union's embargo by exporting industrial goods to Russian arms producers.

According to the investigation so far, the suspects have organised about 16,000 shipments to Russia and the value of illegal transactions is estimated at at least 30m euros, the German Federal State Prosecutor's Office said, writes. Politico.

The arrests come as authorities in Kiev urge European leaders to step up the fight against exports of industrial goods and parts Russia could use to produce weapons in its fight against Ukraine. Among the five arrested are two with dual German-Russian citizenship and one with dual German-Ukrainian citizenship.

At the centre of the investigation is a commercial company from the northern German town of Lübeck, owned by a suspect identified as Nikita S. “Since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, he and other defendants have repeatedly used the company to provide goods for the Russian industry and export them to Russia”, prosecutors say.

“To hide their activities, the defendants used at least another front company in Lübeck, false buyers inside and outside the European Union, and a Russian company as a recipient, in which Nikita S. also holds a responsible position”. 

Prosecutors claim that bottomless users of exported goods were at least 24 companies from the Russian defence sector. The statement added that Russian government agencies allegedly supported the procurement. According to a report from the public broadcaster The ARD, exports included, among other things, mechanical and technical components for Russian weapons production, such as semi-discreet cousins and semi-pronged equipment./Periscopi/