A dual German-Russian national has been arrested for shipping parts to be used in Russian Orlan-10 military drones, the Spiegel magazine reported on Tuesday. Some of the equipment worth 750,000 euros was shipped via Dubai and Lithuania.
According to Spiegel, the Federal Prosecutor's Office is investigating Waldemar W in 26 cases for commercial violations of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act. The man is accused of selling electronic components for Russia’s Orlan-10 drones, which have been used across Ukrainian battlefields and are described as Russia’s “most successful” reconnaissance drones by the influential British think tank RUSI.
This follows earlier reports of German manufacturers shipping components to be used by Russia’s weapon industry via Lithuania.
Last week, a former head of a German company was arrested for allegedly supplying Russia with tools to be used for the manufacture of sniper rifles. The machinery was delivered with the help of third-party companies via Switzerland and Lithuania, the German prosecutors said.
Earlier, an investigation by Radio Svoboda journalists found that electronics bound for the Russian military are being shipped via Lithuania with Central Asian countries marked as the end-destination. However, the parts are then reexported to Russia or are moved there in the first place.
In late June, Lithuania banned the transit of dual-use goods that may end up being used by the Russian military.
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