"Moscow’s German front company: How the Russian military busted through sanctions", 18 May 2026

...authorities were seizing documents they believed exposed a sophisticated system that violated Germany’s Foreign Trade Act by bypassing Western sanctions and moving dual-use technology into Russia, where it could be used by the Kremlin for its war against Ukraine...

The case exposes a persistent weakness in Western sanctions: Critical components can still be bought in Europe, hidden behind routine paperwork, and rerouted through other countries before reaching Russian end users.

Lawyers representing Nikita S., who is in custody while prosecutors gather evidence for an indictment, did not respond to a request for comment. The Foreign Trade Act foresees prison sentences of up to 10 years for serious offenses. (German privacy law restricts the ability of journalists and the authorities to disclose the identities of suspects.)

On paper, the operation revolved around Global Trade, a mid-sized trading company based in Lübeck. Before the war, the company exported directly to Russia. But after Western sanctions tightened, the files show, its business model changed. Direct shipments were replaced by a more elaborate structure designed to disguise the Russian end users...

In several cases, the files say, shipments were traced to Russian end users linked to defense or nuclear research. 

A Turkish company, MR Global, is suspected of playing a central role as the formal consignee while functioning in practice as a transit hub. German front companies also helped obscure the operation. One, ER Industriebedarf GmbH...

Another, Amtech Solutions, was founded in May 2025 by Daniel A. at the instruction of Nikita S. In the files, the investigators say they believe it was intended for future operations. Some of the companies had no real staff; others shared offices or warehouse space with Global Trade.

Lawyers for Eugen R. and Daniel A. also did not respond. Contacted, Olga S. blocked the reporter on Telegram. Global Trade, Kolovrat, MR Global, ER Industriebedarf and Amtech Solutions did not reply to requests for comment.