In Germany, a large-scale scheme to supply dual-use components to Russia in circumvention of Western sanctions has been exposed.
Points of attention
- Germany has successfully dismantled a scheme involving the supply of dual-use components to Russia in circumvention of Western sanctions.
- The Russian company Kolovrat played a central role in the illicit procurement network, supplying Russian industry, including defense structures.
Germany blocked the supply channel of sanctioned goods to Russia
Businessman Nikita S., 39, was detained in Lübeck after a four-year investigation. Investigators believe he turned the trading company Global Trade into a "Moscow-controlled purchasing center."
It is reported that before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the company directly exported goods to Russia, but after the tightening of sanctions, "direct deliveries were replaced by a more complex structure designed to hide Russian end buyers."
The investigation materials indicate that the Russian company Kolovrat, which also operated under the name Siderius and is under US sanctions, was the "operational core of the procurement network" that supplied Russian industry, including structures related to the defense sector.
Investigators believe that Nikita S. was the link between the German company and the Russian handlers. According to the case, he simultaneously worked for Global Trade in Germany and Kolovrat in Moscow.
According to investigators, the Russian side effectively controlled the company from the inside. "Kolovrat employees appear to have logged into Global Trade's email accounts and posed as German employees, using aliases to contact suppliers, request quotes, and place orders across Europe," the article states.
Among the goods that, according to the investigation, were supplied to the Russian Federation are microcontrollers, electronic components, sensors, bearings, mechanical parts, oscilloscopes and other measuring equipment. "In several cases, as indicated in the materials, the deliveries were traced to Russian end users related to defense or nuclear research," the publication notes.
According to the investigation, the deliveries were made mainly through Turkey. Law enforcement officers believe that the Turkish company acted as a transit hub.
According to the prosecutor's office, the network made about 16,000 deliveries worth over 30 million euros.
An important role in exposing the scheme was played by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), which gained access to Kolovrat's internal documents, including orders, invoices, and correspondence.
