Danish company “Rockwool”, which produces stone wool and other insulation products, not only hasn’t left russia since the occupation of Crimea in 2014, but also has been actively earning money in the aggressor country.
Journalists from “Danwatch” analysed the official database of tenders and as it turned out, in at least 21 cases, russian representatives of the company supplied products worth 123 million russhian roubles to companies fulfilling large orders on behalf of the russian Ministry of Defence.
Collaboration was also uncovered with “Marine Integrated Systems” LLC, which supplied materials to the “Severnaya Verf” shipyard. The company’s products were intended for the ship Vsevolod Bobrov.
In January 2022, this ship arrived in the russian Black Sea Fleet, which was criminally stationed on the territory of occupied Crimea. After that it took part in attacks on the Ukrainian Snake island . The ship was used both for logistics of ammunition and military equipment after the occupation of the island, and had the Pantsir-S1 missile system on the board.
The publication’s journalists spoke to Tara Wan Ho, who is one of the leading experts in international maritime law. She assessed the documentation and condemned the company as their products were used to build russian ships that took part not only in the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but also in the occupation of Crimea in 2014 and the Georgian territories in 2008.
“Rockwool” has ignored requests for comment from journalists around the world. Only Michael Zarin, head of communications, sent a written response to Danwatch, in which he ignored journalists’ claims about the company’s activities after 2014.
Zarin stated that the company allegedly has “no client relationship with the russian government or other state institutions” and accused the journalists that all the examples given were “related to activities in 2007”. He also criminally “denied” “Rockwool’s” continued operation of plants on russian territory and, indeed, contracts with russian Defence Ministry facilities, despite the evidence cited in the investigation.
