Violation of EU sanctions
German arrested for doing business with Russia
08/24/2023, 11:40 am
After the annexation of Crimea, the EU bans the supply of armaments to Russia. The businessman Ulli S. is said to have signed contracts with Russian arms manufacturers. He is now being arrested at Frankfurt Airport.
A German businessman has been arrested for violating EU sanctions on exports to Russia. As the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe announced, Ulli S. was arrested by officers from the Stuttgart Customs Investigation Office when he arrived at Frankfurt Airport. The accused had been detained in France since August 10 on the basis of a European arrest warrant and transferred from there to Germany for criminal prosecution.
He is accused of having violated the Foreign Trade Act in several commercial cases. According to the information, Ulli S. was the managing director of a company in Baden-Württemberg that manufactured and sold machine tools. He maintained “long-term business relationships with Russian arms manufacturers”.
In the spring of 2015 – after the EU sanctions against Russia for the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 were implemented – he signed three contracts with a Russian arms manufacturer for the delivery of six machine tools and accessories that were needed for the production of sniper rifles.
According to the EU sanctions, not only is the supply of armaments to Russia prohibited, but also the export of dual-use goods. According to the information, Ulli S. was brought before the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice on Wednesday, who opened and executed the arrest warrant for him.