Germany Arrests Businessman For llegal Electronics Exports to Russia

Germany arrested a businessman for illegally exporting about $780,000 in electronics components to a company in Russia, Germany's federal prosecutor’s office announced Aug. 29. Prosecutors said the man shipped the products between January 2020 and March 2023, and they were sent to Russian producers of “military hardware and accessory parts,” including makers of the ‘Orlan-10’ drone “currently used by Russian forces in Ukraine.”

The man, identified as Waldemar W., ”usually” imported the parts into Germany from abroad before exporting them to two civilian front companies in Russia or directly to a Russian military manufacturer. After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the man “started resorting to intermediary recipients in third countries, inter alia, Dubai and Lithuania, to ship the goods to Russia,” Germany said.