The deputy chair of the Green parliamentary group, Konstantin von Notz, sees the recent raid on suspected illegal exports to Russia as proof that sanctions against Moscow are effective. “It is right and necessary to not only impose sanctions but to enforce them” the vice‑chair of the intelligence‑control committee told Handelsblatt in its Tuesday edition. He welcomed the fact that authorities are now acting against suspects who apparently deliberately circumvented EU embargoes.
Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann, the FDP’s chair of the European Parliament’s defence committee, told Handelsblatt that she is not surprised that some companies are willing to “walk over the dead” in pursuit of profit. She warned that it is unacceptable for Germany to support Ukraine with taxpayer money while at the same time companies earn money through shadowy channels at the expense of Ukrainian victims, thereby helping to fund Putin’s war chest. “It is high time to follow up on these activities” she said. “What will be decisive now is which German firms are entangled in this”.
Von Notz also demands a comprehensive investigation into the background. He says the “criminal energy” that has undermined political directives appears enormous. The exact network and the criminal association that has apparently formed to support Russia’s unlawful aggression in Ukraine must be fully exposed as quickly as possible. The goal is to identify the organisers, additional participants, and the precise extent of companies, shipments, and co‑conspirators.