The Knauf Ukraine company finally refused to comment on the situation regarding assistance to the occupiers with construction in Mariupol, citing the order, UNN reports .
I'm sorry, but I'm not authorized to comment. Our German office is the only one that deals with this. None of us are authorized to comment on this, I have instructions. Only the German office is authorized to comment on this
As a reminder, at the request of the ARD editorial board, the company's headquarters in Germany stated that they condemn Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and adhere to all EU sanctions against Russia. Knauf products manufactured in Russia are intended exclusively for the Russian market, the press service added. No answers were received to the extensive list of questions submitted by the company's editorial board.
Add
Recall
Two German companies, Knauf and WKB Systems, are supplying Russians with construction materials to rebuild occupied Mariupol. The publication says that while searching for evidence of German companies' participation in the restoration of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which was destroyed during the war and occupied by the Russian armed forces and declared Russian, journalists relied on the websites of construction companies, business documentation, photos and videos.
In particular, many construction sites in Mariupol use cement made by Knauf, they noted.
In addition, in photos and videos of construction sites in Mariupol, ARD journalists noticed concrete blocks in green packaging film bearing the name of the German company WKB Systems from the Munsterland region of North Rhine-Westphalia. Among other things, this company equips concrete block production plants.
The company's main shareholder is Russian businessman Viktor Budarin. "Customs data available to the Monitor show that WKB Systems GmbH has for a number of years supplied entire plants for factories producing such aerated concrete blocks to one of Budarin's Russian companies - apparently the same company whose products Russia is using to consolidate its power in Mariupol," the investigation says.
UNN also noticed that WKB Systems was a participant in the international exhibition REBUILD UKRAINE POWERED BY ENERGY 2023, which took place in Warsaw. A similar exhibition is scheduled for November this year.