Germany court sentences man for selling electronics to Russia for military use

Frankfurt: A German court on Wednesday sentenced a dual German-Russian citizen to six years and nine months in prison for selling electronics to Russian companies for military use in violation of sanctions.

The European Union prohibited such business after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and sanctions have increased since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022.

The Stuttgart court said the 59-year-old man delivered 120,000 parts to Russia that could be used for military purposes between January 2020 and May 2023.

The parts included those used in the Orlan-10 drone deployed by Russia against Ukraine, the court said.

After the war began in 2022, the defendant tried to disguise the sales to Russian companies with invoices and shipping documents for destinations like Hong Kong and Turkey, the court said.

The court, in arriving at its sentence, said it "took into account the criminal energy he expended - in particular in the form of circumventing the sanctions after February 2022 - as well as the long period of the transactions and their considerable scope".

The court did not name the individual in line with German privacy customs but said he confessed to the crime and expressed regret. His 54-year-old partner received a shorter suspended sentence.