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🇦🇹 Austria /Crime & Justice

Belarusian sentenced in Vienna for smuggling equipment to Russia

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A 28-year-old Belarusian man was sentenced in Vienna to 21 months partially suspended prison for illegally exporting machine tools and specialized equipment to Russia.
  • He acted as managing director of a Vienna-based company, supplying goods that circumvented EU sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
  • The equipment was intended for companies linked to the Russian state corporation ROSTEC and was identified as necessary for manufacturing missile engines and military equipment.

A 28-year-old Belarusian national has been handed a 21-month partially suspended prison sentence in Vienna for illegally exporting machine tools and specialized equipment to Russia. The man, who served as the managing director of a Vienna-based company, had been supplying the sanctioned goods since 2022, thereby circumventing EU sanctions imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He was certainly not the leading figure.

— ProsecutorThe prosecutor acknowledged the defendant's less central role in the illegal export operation.

The targeted industrial goods, essential for metal processing, were destined for companies associated with ROSTEC, Russia's state-owned technology conglomerate. Investigations by Austria's Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN) revealed that the specialized equipment was crucial for the production of cruise missile engines, fighter jet engines, and other military hardware.

Formally, he managed the company's affairs, but in reality, he carried out the orders of his father and uncle, who are currently said to be abroad within the EU or in Minsk.

— Defense AttorneyThe defense attorney explained the defendant's subordinate position within the company.

The court convicted the man on multiple counts under Austria's Foreign Trade Act. Two months of his sentence are to be served unconditionally, with the remaining 19 months suspended for a probationary period of three years. He was released from custody following the hearing. His 24-year-old cousin, who assisted with accounting, received a 15-month suspended sentence for her subordinate role in the scheme.

All business was conducted on instructions.

— DefendantThe 28-year-old Belarusian man stated he was merely following orders.

While the man formally led the company, his defense attorney argued that he was not the primary decision-maker, merely following instructions from his father and uncle, who are reportedly living abroad. The defense also stated that the company existed before the sanctions and that the business activities were a continuation of prior operations, acknowledging that this was not permissible under the new sanctions regime. The sanctioned goods were channeled through a network of companies, initially to Poland, China, and Turkey, and in some cases, directly to Russia.

He was not involved in the profits; he handed over all income. He only received a regular salary.

— DefendantThe defendant clarified his financial arrangement within the company.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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