Trap Aggressor is an information and advocacy project of the StateWatch analytical center. It aims to monitor the consequences and confiscation of property of people directly related to the war in Ukraine. Information collected through commercial databases allowed us to establish that in 2023 alone, despite a number of sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia, manufacturers of footwear for army soldiers imported products of European companies worth $4.1 million into the country.
Manufacturers of shoes for the Russian army spent over $4 million in the EU
The largest suppliers of leather, adhesives and spare parts for shoe machines include: the Italian company Conceria Cervinia Spa, which in 2023 exported goods worth USD 1.7 million to Russia, the Belarusian-German company Belintertrans Germany Gmbh and the German company Neuhaus Gmbh. The latter received USD 0.9 and USD 0.7 million from Russian shoe manufacturers, respectively.
The truth about European products purchased en masse by Russian entrepreneurs came to light as a result of an investigation by journalists belonging to . Project members examined samples of Russian military footwear previously found on the battlefield and in the occupied territories. It was verified that the shoes were manufactured by specific companies, such as Faraday or Donobuw. Therefore, their commercial bases and transactions with footwear producing companies in European countries began to be examined.
Russian companies publicly emphasized their cooperation with the army
In 2022, the above-mentioned Faraday company received at least six shoe orders from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Their amount was USD 50 million. According to information provided by Trap Aggressor, “only since the beginning of 2023 has the company purchased leather and other goods from the Italian company Conceria Cervinia Spa for $1.7 million.” There were also other European suppliers whose contracts were for much lower amounts.
In turn, Donobuw publicly declared cooperation with the Ministry of Defense on his website. Russian media also described the company’s constant cooperation with the army. In 2023, the German company Salamander Sps Gmbh & Co Kg became a key European leather supplier for Donobuw.
The Kremlin trades with the EU. This is in line with EU law
The sanctions mainly concern trade embargoes on military or dual-use goods. This means that from the point of view of international trade, goods such as leather, soles or rubber are not directly used as a tool of aggression in Ukraine. Legally, they can therefore be safely sold from the EU to Russia. According to information provided by the Trap portal, Aggressor asked listed EU companies to comment on this matter. However, no replies have been received yet. Back in May 2023, the German company Salamander publicly promised to voluntarily stop trading with Russians.
Source: Gazeta
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