Germany – Page 2 – European Sanctions Enforcement

March 4, 2026March 4, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – convictions, €20m confiscation and 6 years in jail for luxury car exports to Russia

German Customs has announced the result in a criminal prosecution of two individuals charged with exporting 111 luxury cars to Russia in breach of EU sanctions.

See our earlier post relating to the raids conducted in 2024.

The vehicles were armored and classified as luxury under the EU sanctions.

One defendant pleaded guilty ahead of the trial, Inna W, and was given a 2-year suspended sentence. The main defendant, Andreas M, pleaded guilty mid way through the trial. He was given a six year jail term and has been in detention since his arrest in November 2024.

The defendants had further plans for the export of another 400 cars valued at €40m.

The evidence indicated an extensive procurement network of shell companies for purchasing the vehicles before export. Customers for the vehicles included various Russian state agencies and state-owned corporations.

The sentence included the confiscation of “approximately €20m” as the proceeds of crime said to be from the individuals and the companies involved.

February 4, 2026February 4, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – state parliamentarian arrested for suspected Belarus export

Further to our earlier post from 2024, the Leipzig Public Prosecutor’s office has arrested Jörg Dornau, who is a member of state parliament, on suspicion of breaching the EU’s sanctions against Belarus.

The previous obstacle to his prosecution, parliamentary immunity, has been lifted.

It is alleged that he falsified a customs declaration in 2022 indicating Kazakhstan was the destination of the export of a telehandler vehicle, when the real destination was a company in Belarus.

February 2, 2026February 2, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – raids and five arrested as part of alleged Russian procurement network

Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office has issued a press release detailing that the German authorities this morning have arrested 5 individuals as part of raids on premises in Lübeck, Frankfurt am Main, and Nuremberg.

Five of the suspects are named as Artem I, Boris M, Eugen R, Nikita S and Daniel A. Five suspects remain wanted.

The allegation is that a German company based in Lübeck has made 16,000 deliveries to 24 different Russian defence companies with the goods valued as at least €30 million. The category of goods is not specified.

January 27, 2026January 27, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – investigations into RussPost executives for alleged sanctions breaches

After reporting by BILD where journalists were able to ship (disabled) electronics components from Germany to Russia through RussPost, it is now being reported that prosecutors are seeking to charge a senior manager at RussPost.

The same reporting states that an earlier investigation into another senior manager, named as Dmitri V, had been commenced but then discontinued for a lack of evidence in 2024.

January 27, 2026January 27, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – investigation into company alleged to have supplied materials for Russian drones

It is being reported that a mutual legal assistance request has been sent by German authorities to Ukraine investigating press reports of German companies alleged to have supplied materials used in the building of the Shahed drones used by Russian in the conflict with Ukraine.

The German company reported to be the target of the information gathering is Goettle Advanced Products GmbH & Co. KG and possible connections to the Russian manufacturer Composite Products LLC.

January 22, 2026January 22, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – two arrested for providing funds and economic resources to Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics

Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor has issued a press release relating to the arrest of two individuals for supplying funds and economic resources to the sanctioned Ukrainian separatist groups the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.

It is alleged the two individuals, Suren A. (Russian) and Falko H. (German) transferred €14,000 to these groups and also organised the transport of supplies, drones and medical products to them.

The press release mentioned raids of May 2025 in Berlin and Brandenburg, including of a third suspect.

January 19, 2026January 19, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – maritime authorities turn away shadow fleet vessel

Last week the German authorities ordered the vessel Tavian not to enter German territorial waters after inspection of the ship’s papers resulted in a finding that the vessel was sailing under a false flag and with a fake IMO number, and a suspicion that the tanker was being used to ship Russian oil.

The vessel complied with the order and turned around before returning to the North Sea and turning off its transponder.

Other reports include a comment from the Bundespolizei that they could not comment on an “ongoing operational procedure”.

January 2, 2026January 2, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – €10 million payment to settle sanctions investigation into Usmanov

Prosecutors in Germany have settled their investigation and prosecution of Alisher Usmanov for suspected breaches of EU sanctions.

The settlement involves a payment of €10 million but no admission of liability.

The investigation related to allegations of payments made by or on behalf Usmanov, a designated person, in relation the provision of security for two properties in Germany.

December 16, 2025December 16, 2025 by Mark Handley

Germany – report that there are 6,000 criminal proceedings for Russian and Belarus sanctions breaches ongoing

It is being reported in an article published in trans.info that the German authorities currently have approximately 6000 criminal proceedings for sanctions offences that are ongoing.

This number is said to be specific to the EU’s Russian and Belarusian sanctions regimes.

No further information is provided on the status of the cases.

December 3, 2025December 3, 2025 by Mark Handley

Germany – investigation into businesses alleged to have exported €10m in luxury cars to Russia

It is being reported that the Munich Prosecutor’s Office is investigating a number of businesses suspected of exporting 50 luxury cars to Russia in breach of the EU’s sanctions.

The cars are said to be valued at €10 million, including one car fitted with armour valued at €650,000.

The report alleges that the exports were done via third countries including Kazakhstan.