Overview
- A Vienna court on Aug. 12 convicted two Belarusian cousins for breaching export controls by supplying metalworking tools and CNC machines to Russian defence firms.
- The 28‑year‑old director received a 21‑month sentence with 19 months suspended and was released for time served while the 24‑year‑old cousin received a 15‑month suspended sentence and both pleaded guilty and declined to appeal.
- Prosecutors say the defendants ran an Austria‑based firm that used shell companies and falsified end‑user certificates to disguise the true destination and end use of dual‑use equipment.
- Austrian raids last August uncovered evidence showing more than €3.3 million in industrial goods were delivered to Russian arms manufacturers since 2022, with shipments routed through countries such as Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, and Poland.
- Authorities linked the equipment to companies affiliated with Rostec and to the manufacture of engines for missiles and fighter jets, a finding that may sharpen EU scrutiny of supply chains and test the deterrent power of suspended sentences.