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A German court has convicted a businessman for delivering electronic components to Russian firms involved in the production of military equipment.

In return, AP News reported that Stuttgart state court sentenced the 59-year-old defendant, a German-Russian dual citizen, to six years and nine months in prison for violating export laws. His identity was not disclosed, adhering to German privacy regulations.

His partner in the case, a 54-year-old woman who holds dual citizenship, was given a suspended sentence lasting one year and nine months. She was accused of managing one of the businessman's companies and knowingly giving incorrect information to suppliers about where the components were going.

The court's decision also included the confiscation of approximately 880,000 euros ($958,000), representing the profits from the sales.

Illegal Shipping of Military Parts to Russia

The primary defendant had been involved in trading electronic components for over 15 years and operated two companies in the Saarland region of western Germany.

Between January 2020 and May 2023, he delivered over 120,000 components to Russian companies linked to military equipment production, including drones.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the businessman attempted to circumvent European Union sanctions by falsely listing the destinations of the components as Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey on invoices and shipping documents.

However, all deliveries ultimately went to Russia, violating export restrictions.

Recently, VCPost also noted that an American businessman did the same, but this time, exporting aviation tech.

Shipping components to Russia is illegal because it violates international sanctions and export control laws, such actions can potentially destabilize regional security and undermining efforts to maintain control agreements.

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Russia-Ukraine War