German companies supply Russia with gypsum and gas blocks for construction in occupied Mariupol
At least two German companies are supplying building materials to the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol, journalists from the ARD television program Monitor have found out by studying annual reports, photos, and videos.
In particular, according to journalists, cement produced by the company Knauf, which continues to operate in Russia, is being used in Russian construction in the Ukrainian city.
Journalists found bags with Knauf logos on a photo of a report on a housing project in Mariupol commissioned by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The company is owned by German businessman Nicholas Knauf, who, as ARD notes, has been the Honorary Consul of Russia in Nuremberg for over 20 years and has met with Vladimir Putin. Knauf employs more than 4,000 people in Russia. After the start of the full-scale war, the company said it had no plans to leave the country.
Knauf has been in the Russian market since 1993 and has invested more than 1.65 billion euros. The company has ten subsidiaries in Russia, 20 factories (one of which is located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, where Russia also produces Shahed-136 drones), and almost 30 resource centers, employing about 4,000 people.
In 2022, Knauf paid about $117 million to the Russian budget. Today it is the largest German investor in the Russian construction industry.
The German company WKB Systems, whose aerated concrete blocks were discovered in Mariupol, develops equipment for aerated concrete and silicate brick factories.
ARD names Russian businessman Viktor Budarin as the company's majority shareholder. He has not been sanctioned. WKB Systems declined to comment.
Knauf reacted to the publication.
"We condemn Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and comply with all EU sanctions against Russia," the statement released by the German company says.
At the same time, Knauf confirmed that it has production in Russia, but it is intended "exclusively for the Russian market."
The list of questions sent by the editorial office was left unanswered by the company.
In February 2024, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin reported that the restoration of apartment buildings in the city was practically complete.
At the same time, Human Rights Watch, together with SITU Research and Truth Hounds, published an investigation into the capture of Mariupol by the Russians. Over 90% of residential buildings in the central part of the city were destroyed, and from March 2022 to February 2023, at least 8,000 people died in Mariupol, according to human rights activists.
Meanwhile, experts interviewed by ARD said that even if building materials are not subject to EU sanctions, companies should exclude any profit from a war that violates international law.
Read also: US: Russian army almost fully restored and rearmed, China providing support
Knauf has been present on the Russian market since 1993 and has invested more than 1.65 billion euros in the country. The company has ten subsidiaries in Russia, 20 factories (one of which is located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, where Russia also produces Shahed-136 drones) and almost 30 resource centers, employing about 4,000 people.
In 2022, Knauf paid about $117 million to the Russian budget. Today it is the largest German investor in the Russian construction industry.