German firm fined for violating Russia sanctions – media

A German company has been fined €1.3 million ($1.38 million) for violating sanctions against Russia, Tagesschau reported on Wednesday.

The unnamed company, from Schleswig-Holstein, delivered a machine to Russia that was used to build the Crimean Bridge, violating EU sanctions against the country, according to the outlet.

The equipment in question is reported to have been a hydraulic hammer that is used to ram piles into the ground. The company’s employees are also said to have traveled to the construction site to oversee the use of the equipment.

The District Court of Kiel imposed the penalty citing "sufficient suspicion of a violation of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act," Tagesschau reported.

The report does not specify when the delivery of the equipment took place. The bridge, which provides a road and rail transport link between the Crimean Peninsula and mainland Russia, was built between 2016 and 2018.

Crimea became part of the Russian Federation as a result of a referendum in 2014 after the region refused to support the coup that overthrew Ukraine’s elected government. The EU, along with the US and some other countries, described the referendum as an “illegal annexation” by Russia and has progressively imposed economic sanctions against Moscow since then.

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