Key facts
- Two Belarusian cousins were convicted in Austria for violating export controls.
- They supplied equipment to Russian companies for military items like missile and fighter jet engines.
- The scheme involved a Vienna-based firm, shell companies, and faked end-user certificates.
- Over €3.3 million in industrial goods were delivered to Russian arms manufacturers since 2022.
- The main defendant received a 21-month sentence (19 suspended), and his cousin a 15-month suspended sentence.
An Austrian court convicted two Belarusian cousins on Wednesday for violating export controls by supplying equipment to Russian companies that Austria's government claims were used to produce military items, including engines for missiles and fighter jets. The primary defendant, a 28-year-old man and director of a Vienna-based firm, used a network of shell companies and falsified end-user certificates to ship specialized metalworking tools and CNC machines to Russia. His 24-year-old cousin, who managed the company's accounts, was also convicted. Both pleaded guilty and declined to appeal.
The man received a 21-month prison sentence, with 19 months suspended, and was released as he had been in custody since his May arrest. The woman was given a 15-month suspended sentence. The main defendant stated he acted on instructions from his father and uncle, who worked for an unspecified Russian company. Prosecutors agreed he did not play a leading role in the scheme, which had been active since 2022.
Evidence seized during four raids in August of the previous year indicated that industrial goods valued at over €3.3 million had been delivered to Russian arms manufacturers since 2022, according to the Austrian interior ministry.