Germany: Customs officers have arrested five men suspected of illegal exports of industrial goods to Russia, worth 30 million euros.

German customs officers arrested five men on Monday suspected of violating the European Union's embargoes against Russia by organizing exports of industrial goods to Russian arms manufacturers. The ongoing investigation has revealed that the suspects made approximately 16,000 deliveries to Russia, with a total value of at least 30 million euros. Among those arrested are individuals with dual German-Russian and German-Ukrainian citizenship.

The center of the investigation is a company in Lübeck, owned by a suspect known as Nikita S., who used the firm to procure and export goods intended for the Russian defense industry. The suspects employed camouflage methods, including shell companies and fictitious buyers, to conceal their illegal activities. The exported goods, including mechanical components and semiconductors, were intended for at least 24 Russian companies in the defense sector, supported by Russian state institutions. These actions come in the context of requests from Ukrainian authorities to strengthen measures against exports to Russia.