German firm feeds Russian war machine with strategic raw materials - investigation
Kyiv • UNN
The German company EKC is the largest supplier of chromium to the Russian Federation, which is used in military equipment. From January 2023 to April 2024, it exported metal worth 24.2 million euros, covering half of Russia's imports.
The largest supplier of chromium to Russia, which is used, in particular, for the production of military equipment, is the company EKC from the German city of Würzburg. This is reported by Handelsblatt with reference to an analysis of export data, informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that in the period from January 2023 to April 2024, EKC exported 24.2 million euros worth of chromium to the Russian Federation.
Thus, the company supplies about half of Russia's total imports of material important for arms production
The authors indicate that business with Russia now has far-reaching consequences for the company. Thus, Great Britain included EKC in the sanctions list on February 24, 2025.
"When asked, EKC Financial Director Yevgeny Porokhnya called Britain's actions "illegal". His company complies with international "sanction measures". EKC will file a lawsuit against this decision," the article says.
Reference
In the arms industry, chromium is used to protect gun barrels from heavy wear and grenades from corrosion. Representatives of the German arms industry claim that the use of chromium triples the durability of artillery guns.
The EKC website states that in the first years it "helped German companies find suppliers of certain raw materials, especially in CIS countries." Among EKC's clients in Russia in 2017 was "Uralvagonzavod", which produces armored vehicles for the Russian armed forces.
Recall
In February, the EU adopted the 16th package of sanctions against Russia. It expanded the list of sanctioned goods that contribute to the technological advancement of the Russian defense and security sector, adding goods for the development and production of Russian military systems - in particular, such as chromium compounds and controllers used to control unmanned aerial vehicles.
