Germany arrests Russian suspected of breaching arms embargo

BERLIN – German prosecutors say customs officials have arrested a Russian man on suspicion of exporting goods suitable for missile construction to “military recipients” in his home country.

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday the 68-year-old man, identified only as Vladimir D. because of German privacy rules, shipped equipment used to increase the density of aircraft and spacecraft components in at least two cases in 2014 and 2018.

The goods, worth an estimated 1.7 million euros ($1.95 million), are banned from export to military users in Russia as part of Western sanctions directed against Moscow.

Prosecutors say the suspect, who was arrested Tuesday in the Karlsruhe area of southwestern Germany, tried to hide the true recipient of the goods.

If convicted, he faces one to five years imprisonment.