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| Ukraine massively launched economic 'weapons' at Russia, a series of leading businesses of its allies were hit. (source: Visegradinsight) |
The National Anti-Corruption Service of Ukraine (NACP) has added German building materials manufacturer Knauf to the list of international sponsors of Russia's military conflict.
According to the NACP report, “in 2022 alone, one of the world's largest manufacturers of building materials, Knauf, paid about $117 million to the Russian budget.
In addition, the German company is accused of actively supporting Russia against Ukraine. This is the basis for the NACP to add Knauf to the list of international sponsors of military conflicts.
Since 1993, Knauf has invested more than 1.65 billion EUR in the Russian economy. The German building materials giant is represented in Russia, owning 10 subsidiaries, 20 factories and nearly 30 resource centers.
The German building materials manufacturer also employs 4,000 people in Russia and is the largest German investor in the Russian construction industry.
Knauf also owns facilities for the production of acoustic ceiling tiles and suspension systems in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (Tatarstan) - where Russia's Shahed-136 drones are produced.
Several of Knauf’s executives are also believed to have close ties to the Kremlin. For example, company co-owner Nikolaus Wilhelm Knauf served as Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation for 23 years (from February 1999 to March 2022), with a representative office in Nuremberg with Honorary Consulate powers.
After Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, the German company officially made it clear that it sees no reason to leave the Russian market. And Knauf on the ground will stay in Russia as long as the political and commercial situation allows it to do so. Because “it is responsible for more than 4,000 employees and their families, as well as for customers and suppliers, many of whom have had excellent relationships for many years,” the company representative said.
In October 2022, German media reported that Knauf supported the mobilization of its employees into the Russian armed forces.
In February 2023, Knauf participated in the YugBuild exhibition (Krasnodar Territory, Russia) and presented innovative building materials produced in Russia. At the end of November 2023, the company even organized the KNAUF BUILD FEST 2023 exhibition under the slogan The largest festival of Knauf technologies and solutions in construction and decoration - Six growth zones for real professionals.
Thus, “Knauf experts continued to contribute to the construction of cities in Russia. This is in stark contrast to the thousands of destroyed buildings in Ukraine, which Knauf “financed” along with other things, such as taxes,” the NACP stressed.
Before Knauf, the Danish company Rockwool was also included in the list of international sponsors of the conflict in Ukraine.
On November 3, the Swiss Nestle Group was also officially put on this "blacklist".
Not far behind Germany's Knauf, Nestle - one of the world's largest food manufacturers, with a series of famous brands such as KitKat, Nescafé, Nesquik, Nestea and others - has 7 factories in Russia and employs more than 7,000 people, as of early 2022.
Although profits from the Russian market account for just over 2% of Nestle's total revenue, despite the conflict, Nestle continues to operate in Russia, supplying goods to Moscow and expanding its production facilities in Russia. According to NACP, Nestle also explains this as a result of the Russian people's need for basic necessities, as well as the protection of its Russian employees.
Earlier in September, according to NACP, US food giants PepsiCo and Mars were also accused of continuing to operate in Russia despite their statements about cutting back on business, stopping advertising and production, paying significant taxes to the budget, thereby supporting the Russian economy.
Most recently, on November 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two decrees in a row, implementing the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to launch sanctions against 147 individuals and 303 legal entities with potential links to Russia.
According to the first package, the list of sanctioned individuals includes 60 citizens of Russia, Cyprus, Uzbekistan, Belarus, the United Kingdom, as well as people with dual citizenship of Russia and Cyprus, the Principality of Liechtenstein and Switzerland, Austria and Switzerland, Russia and Germany, Russia and Ukraine.
According to the decree of the President of Ukraine, the sanctions are valid for 10 years. Kiev also supplements the existing international sanctions regime with its own sanctions. And the country's authorities are working to extend the sanctions imposed by partners to those who oppose the relevant decisions adopted in Ukraine.
A total of 210 companies were included in the attached list of legal entities subject to sanctions for a period of three to 10 years.
Of the 93 sanctioned entities, more than 30 are established in the Russian Federation, 18 in Cyprus, five in the UAE, five in Turkey, two in China, one in France, two in Switzerland, one in the Cayman Islands, one in the Isle of Man, one in the Slovak Republic, one in the UK, one in Malta and two in the Central African Republic.
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