German engineer sentenced to three years for leaking ASML and NXP technology to Russia

A Rotterdam district court has sentenced German Aksenov, a 43-year-old former process engineer at ASML and NXP, to three years in prison for unlawfully transferring confidential semiconductor technology to a contact in Russia.

Investigators found that Aksenov copied design files and production-line documentation from company servers onto USB drives and external hard disks, later discovered at his home. He also shared manufacturing details with a Russian associate, and prosecutors believe those materials ultimately reached the FSB intelligence service.

ASML, the sole supplier of extreme-ultraviolet lithography equipment essential to cutting-edge chipmaking, and NXP, co-inventor of near-field communication technology, are prime targets for espionage because their intellectual property underpins advanced civilian and military electronics. Although prosecutors sought a four-year term, the court reduced the sentence after finding no evidence that Aksenov was paid for the data.

During earlier hearings, Aksenov admitted possessing company files but denied spying, saying they served to “maintain professional knowledge.” The court rejected that argument, stressing that the engineer knowingly removed restricted material and failed to consider sanctions compliance.

The ruling cites violations of European Union sanctions introduced in 2014 that prohibit providing “technical assistance” or restricted technologies to Russian entities.