Germany accuses 5 individuals of supplying Siemens turbines to Crimea

According to the indictment, the five individuals knew they were assisting in exporting turbines worth 111 million euros from Hamburg to St. Petersburg, with the ultimate destination being two power stations in Crimea.

It is noted that charges have been brought against four German citizens and one person with French and Swiss citizenship.

A Siemens representative stated that the company continues to cooperate with authorities in their investigations, as they have been doing since they first learned about the case in 2016.

One of the suspects still works at the company, and all five are challenging the charges.

Scandal over turbine supply to Crimea

In 2017, it became known that gas turbines from the German conglomerate Siemens had been sent to Crimea by Russia, despite the EU banning European companies from supplying energy technology to the peninsula.

The turbines were intended for a project in the Taman Peninsula in Russia, but Russia planned to use them to build new Crimean thermal power plants.

The company Rostec claimed that it did not directly purchase turbines for thermal power plants in Crimea from the German company Siemens but acquired the equipment on the secondary market.

Later, Siemens announced its intention to sue the company Technopromexport, to which they sold the turbines, demanding that the Russians remove the turbines from Crimea.

German companies are not the first to violate EU sanctions

Last year, it was reported that a German company had to pay a fine of 1.3 million euros for violating EU sanctions. It delivered a machine to Russia that was used in the construction of the Crimean Bridge.

At that time, prosecutors said they were investigating the case of supplying a ram - a so-called hydraulic hammer - for the construction of the Crimean Bridge. It can be used for driving piles into the ground.