German authorities have arrested five people suspected of running a criminal network to circumvent European Union sanctions by exporting goods to at least 24 sanctioned Russian defence companies, the federal prosecutor’s office said on Monday.

The suspects, who include German, Ukrainian and Russian nationals, are accused of using a Lübeck-based company and several shell firms to carry out about 16,000 deliveries to Russia worth at least 30 million euros ($36 million) since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Prosecutors said Russian state agencies are suspected of being behind the procurement network, which allegedly supplied goods in violation of EU export restrictions.

Authorities said the group is believed to have deliberately concealed the true destination and end users of the shipments in order to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia’s military and defence sector.

The arrests highlight continued European efforts to crack down on sanctions evasion more than three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Since then, the EU and its partners have introduced multiple rounds of sanctions targeting Russia’s defence industry, dual-use goods and technology that could support Moscow’s war effort.

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Western governments have repeatedly warned that Russia relies on complex procurement networks, front companies and third-country intermediaries to obtain restricted components and equipment.

German authorities have in recent years increased raids and criminal investigations into suspected sanctions-busting schemes, as part of broader EU efforts to tighten enforcement and close loopholes in export controls.

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