Ukraine hits Knauf with war sponsor status as manufacturer continues operating in Russia

Ukraine recognized the German corporation Knauf, one of the largest manufacturers of building materials in the world, as a sponsor of war, reported the press service of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention.

Knauf has been present on the Russian market since 1993 and during this time has invested more than 1.65 billion euros in it. The company has ten subsidiaries in Russia, 20 factories (one of them is in the Alabuga special economic zone, where Russia also produces Shahed-136 drones) and almost 30 resource centers, about 4,000 employees. Today it is the largest German investor in the construction industry of Russia.

The co-owner of the company, Nikolaus Wilhelm Knauf, had the status of Honorary Consul of Russia in Nuremberg for 23 years (from February 1999 to March 2022).

After the start of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the company decided to stay in Russia, declaring its responsibility for the workers. Some of these workers were mobilized by the Kremlin regime and went to the military commissariats in the company's branded minibus, according to NACP.

In 2022, Knauf paid about $117 million to the Russian state budget.

Knauf is the fourth German sponsor of the war after the trading company Metro AG and the machine tool factories Spinner GmbH and DMG MORI.