Court convicts Belarusian over sanctions-busting Russia shipments

A 28-year-old Belarusian man was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Wednesday for sending specialised equipment to Russia in breach of European Union sanctions, ORF reported. Two months of the sentence must be served, while the remainder was suspended for three years. The verdict is final.

The machine tools and other equipment were needed for metalworking and were delivered to companies linked to Russian state corporation ROSTEC. Investigators said some of the equipment could be used to manufacture engines for cruise missiles and fighter aircraft, as well as other military equipment.

The man had been managing a Vienna-based company since 2022 and shipped the goods to Russia through third countries, circumventing EU sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He was arrested on May 13, 2026, following an investigation based on findings by the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence.

His 24-year-old cousin, who worked as an assistant at the company and handled parts of its bookkeeping, was sentenced to 15 months in prison under the Foreign Trade Act. Because of her subordinate role, the sentence was fully suspended. Both verdicts are final, after the defence and prosecution accepted them.

The man told investigators that he had acted on instructions from his father and uncle, who are believed to be in another EU country and Minsk. Although he formally headed the company, he said he had not shared in its profits and had received only a regular salary. His lawyer said he was studying mechanical engineering in Vienna.

Both defendants pleaded guilty. Their lawyer said the company had existed before the sanctions and that they had continued its earlier business to keep it operating. He acknowledged that doing so had been unlawful.

The sanctioned goods were first shipped through a network of companies to Poland, China and Turkey, and in some cases to Lithuania and South Korea. Manufacturers were shown forged end-user certificates stating that the goods would remain in those countries. In reality, the shipments ultimately reached Russia, sometimes after passing through Belarus.

Since 2022, investigators established deliveries worth more than 3.3 million euros. According to the indictment, the company generated 780,000 euros in revenue in Austria. The company is now being liquidated.

Four packages containing milling machines, drills and other equipment linked to the company were intercepted at Freudenau port in Vienna and confiscated.