German Prosecution: Man Accused of Sending Drone Parts to Russia

The German public prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday that "a man holding both German and Russian citizenship is in custody, suspected of exporting components used by Russia in the manufacture of military equipment, which has escalated the case from a local to a federal level." It stated that "the suspect, named Waldemar F., has been charged with violating sanctions imposed following last year's extensive Russian attack on Ukraine." The public prosecutor's office noted that "it intervened in the case due to its particular importance, and the arrest warrant it issued replaced a previous one issued by a local court in Mannheim on March 8." The suspect has been in pretrial detention since March 9, awaiting trial. He is accused of exporting electronic components in 26 instances from January 2020 to March 2023 to a Russian company involved in the manufacture of military equipment, particularly the "Orlan-10" reconnaissance drone. German authorities are increasingly cracking down on those suspected of circumventing sanctions.