German firms help 'rebuild' Russian-occupied Mariupol: report
Berlin (AFP) – Two German
construction companies are taking part in rebuilding Russian-occupied
Mariupol, the Ukrainian city that fell to Moscow's invading forces two
years ago, a German press investigation claimed on Thursday
The industrial Knauf group, which manufactures plasterboard, and WKB
Systems, which produces aerated concrete, have been providing materials
for construction in the city that was almost entirely flattened during
the early months of the war, according to the investigation by Monitor
magazine and shown on the public ARD television channel.
Monitor
says it has analysed numerous images from construction sites where the
Knauf logo appears, as well as detailed activity reports demonstrating
the German company's presence in the port city.
Mariupol fell to Russian forces after a two-month siege that cost the lives of thousands and left the city in rubble.
The
magazine also quotes an "official distributor" of Knauf's that is
promoting a housing project in Mariupol, built with Knauf products on
behalf of the Russian defence ministry.
Products from WKB
Systems, which is majority-owned by Russian businessman Viktor Budarin,
can also be seen at construction sites in Mariupol, the magazine said.
Knauf, in a statement sent to AFP, insisted it "respects all the EU, UK and American sanctions against Russia".
The Bavarian group runs 14 production sites in Russia where it employs 4,000 people.
It said its decision not to pull out of Russia -- as many major
German groups did following the invasion -- was out of "responsibility"
to its employees.
Since conquering Mariupol, Russia has published
a reconstruction plan for the city, which was home to more than 400,000
Ukrainians before the invasion.
"Any enterprise participating
should ask itself at whose service it is putting itself," Germany's
foreign ministry told AFP, describing Russia's reconstruction claim as
"propaganda".
Germany's economy ministry told AFP that
authorities needed to determine whether or not the participation of
German companies represented "a violation of sanctions".
