Spanish authorities announced on Wednesday that they had arrested two people, one Ukrainian and the other Russian, for allegedly trafficking military aeronautical equipment to Russia, defying the embargo imposed by the European Union since the start of the war. in Ukraine.
These two suspects were arrested separately in the north of the Basque Country during an operation by Spanish police and customs aimed at stopping an "
imminent
" shipment of military equipment to Russia, according to a press release from the Spanish Interior Ministry. .
Documentation system
According to the ministry, which does not specify when the arrests took place, the shipment included "
equipment for the cockpits of military aircraft
".
Among the two arrested suspects is the alleged leader of this network of traffickers.
Investigators began their work in June 2021 after being alerted to a Spanish company "
evading current controls
", run by a married couple, both Ukrainians, according to the statement.
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By examining the company's files, the police uncovered a network of military equipment supplies in Moscow, based on "
extensive knowledge of transport logistics
", according to the ministry.
The alleged traffickers had developed a "
sophisticated customs documentation system
" that allowed them to ship goods "
to non-embargoed countries, when in reality the destination was Russia
," the statement said.
Questioned by AFP, a police spokeswoman was unable to specify whether the person of Ukrainian nationality in custody was one of the leaders of this company.
The EU initially banned arms exports to Moscow after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, but dramatically tightened the rules by imposing sweeping sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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