Two German shipping companies are suspected of violating the sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia for the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea, the radio station Deutschlandfunk (DLF) reported on Friday, July 6. According to her information, companies Hansa Heavy Lift from Hamburg and Heinz Corleis KG from Stade delivered to Russia titanium ore (ilmenite), which was then in the Crimea.

In November and December 2017, Hansa Heavy Lift and Heinz Corleis KG delivered a total of about 35,000 tons of titanium ore from Norway to the Russian port of Kavkaz, located in the Kerch Strait, reports DLF. The ore was transshipped onboard the Russian ship Nefterudovoz-2, which, according to DLF, went to a port in Crimea located 20 km away.

In the Crimea there is an enterprise "Crimean Titanium", which produces titanium dioxide for paint and varnish and other industries. Titanium ore is also used in the defense industry, so it is unclear whether it falls under EU sanctions against Russia, but at the same time its supply to the Crimea is clearly prohibited, journalists say.. Meanwhile, Heavy Lift and Heinz Corleis KG stated that they did not know that the ore would be on the peninsula annexed by Russia, but its deliveries to the Russian Federation do not contradict the sanctions.

The fact that the ship with ore went to the Crimea, DLF radio station, in particular, the chief editor of the information portal blackseanews. net, head of the supervisory board of the Ukrainian NGO "Maydan of Foreign Affairs" Andrei Klimenko. According to him, Russia itself does not need ilmenite supplies, since it is extracted in sufficient quantities in the Urals. European firms should take into account that the "Caucasus" port is used to circumvent sanctions, Klimenko believes..

The Hamburg prosecutor's office confirmed to the DLF that allegations of an offense against Hansa Heavy Lift and Heinz Corleis KG have been filed and that these charges are being verified. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry of Norway reported an investigation against the Norwegian company Titania kronos, which extracted the supposedly delivered to the Crimea ore, reports DLF. Norway, which is not part of the EU, earlier joined the sanctions imposed in connection with the annexation of the Crimea.

Source: DW.