The German federal prosecutor's office said German law enforcement officials stopped the activities of a group that allegedly organized thousands of supplies of sanctioned products to Russian defense enterprises.
German customs authorities have arrested five people suspected of violating European embargoes, according to reports.
Among the defendants in the case are citizens with dual citizenship, including Russians and Ukrainians. Arrests of alleged violators took place in the city of Lübeck and surrounding areas.
Among those arrested were Nikita S., Daniel A. and Artem I. According to investigators, they used a company registered in Lübeck to purchase goods and transport them to Russia. To disguise trading activities, the attackers used an extensive network of shell companies.
The key person involved, Nikita S., held a “responsible position” in the Russian company acting as consignee. German investigators believe that government agencies may have been involved in the scheme and that the final consumer of the product was the Russian military-industrial complex.
This group was accused of organizing 16 thousand illegal shipments with a total value of 30 million euros. The investigation was conducted with the active support of German intelligence.
Moscow has previously pointed out Germany's desire to create the strongest army in Europe under the slogan of containing Russia.
Previously, the newspaper VZGLYAD wrote why the discovery of the so-called “Russian intelligence network” in Germany shows how much the level of German counterintelligence has deteriorated in recent years.
