German Court Sentences Couple for Smuggling Drone Parts to Russia

In a story for AFP, a German court has convicted a German-Russian couple for smuggling electronic components for drones to Russia in defiance of EU sanctions. The main defendant, a 59-year-old man, was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for supplying 120,000 drone parts, including transistors and amplifiers, to Russian defense firms between January 2020 and May 2023. His 53-year-old partner received a suspended sentence of one year and nine months. The parts were ultimately used in Orlan-10 drones deployed by Russia in the war against Ukraine.

The court in Stuttgart determined that the man, who operated two companies, executed the illicit transactions by routing shipments through front companies in Hong Kong, China, the UAE, and Turkey to conceal their final destination. Despite earning around 875,000 euros ($955,000) from this illegal trade, his activities were ultimately exposed. The court noted his "significant criminal energy" in bypassing the EU embargo, especially after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The investigation, led by the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Germany, highlighted the couple's extensive involvement in the scheme. The man had been in pretrial detention since his arrest in March 2023, while his partner was released earlier due to health issues. The court took into account their partial admission of guilt, which shortened the trial duration and contributed to the leniency of the partner’s sentence.

(Sources: Agence France-Presse, RFE/RL's Russian Service)