A man is in custody in connection with the illegal sale of military technology worth 1.7 million euros (1.9 million dollars) to Russia, German federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.
The home of the Russian man, 68, along with business premises in the south-western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, were searched on Tuesday.
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.
According to prosecutors based in the city of Karlsruhe, he exported goods to military recipients in Russia on at least two occasions between 2014 and 2018. The goods were described as "hot isostatic presses," which are used in the aerospace sector.
The exports contravened the current embargo on Russia regarding such technology, the prosecutors said.
The man being held is reported to have made use of different fake recipients in order to evade checks and to have submitted fake documents to the authorities.
If convicted, he faces one to five years imprisonment.
