German companies are helping Russia rebuild the occupied and destroyed Mariupol

Experts say that the companies actually “help cement” the Russian government in the occupied territories.

The German company Knauf and its subsidiary WKB Systems GmbH with 4,000 employees continue to cooperate with Russia. In particular, they will play a significant role in the reconstruction of Mariupol, which the Russians destroyed during a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

WKB Systems GmbH, the main owner of which is the Russian oligarch Viktor Budarin, has for many years used the capabilities of Knauf to work in the Russian market for the production of aerated concrete blocks. Now WKB Systems GmbH is one of the main contractors in Mariupol.

In annual reports, on company websites, in photos and videos – everywhere there is evidence that German companies also play an important role in the reconstruction of Mariupol. In particular, these are heavy construction machines and windows, on which you can find the logos of several German manufacturers. And again, the name Knauf is flying on plaster and cement packages.

In a general statement regarding conducting Russian business, Knauf reports that it condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine and complies with all EU sanctions against the Russian Federation. They state that they produce products in Russia “exclusively for the local market.”

“As for Knauf’s statements regarding the presence of a subsidiary company that operates in Russia only on the domestic market and therefore does not violate EU sanctions requirements, this interpretation is as far from reality as possible,” said Viktor Winkler, an expert on sanctions law.

Member of the Bundestag from the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the head of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, Roderich Kiesewetter, condemns the involvement of German companies in construction works in Mariupol. He emphasized that they are serving a war that violates international law.

“This is very obvious in the case of Knauf, because they actually cement Russian power in the occupied territories, in particular in Mariupol,” the politician emphasized.

Numerous Russian oligarchs have already been sanctioned in recent years. Budarin is not one of them.

“From a legal point of view, there is a very good reason to impose sanctions on this person, because he is doing a lot to strengthen the Russian economy. And Germany is very much involved here,” Winkler concluded.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that more than 11,000 people are officially known to have died in Mariupol. But there they warn that the real figure may turn out to be ten times higher. Meanwhile, journalist Natalia Didenko emphasized that as of August 2022, there were data on the death of 87,000 people in the temporarily occupied city. We are talking about those who had a passport or other document at the time of their death.

Human rights activists say that in the central part of Mariupol by mid-May 2022, 93% of 477 high-rise residential buildings, all 19 hospital complexes of the city and 86 of 89 educational institutions were damaged.

Mariupol, destroyed by the Russians, has been under occupation for almost two years. Little information about the life of its inhabitants and the functioning of the infrastructure enters the Ukrainian information space. However, it is noticeable that Russia is trying to create a picture of the “reconstruction” of the city. On the bones.