Ukrzaliznytsia, enterprises from the Ministry of Defense, Energoatom and the recently bombed Okhmatdyt children's hospital are just a small list of vital Ukrainian facilities to which the pro-Russian company Kovlar Group gained access.
How did it happen that fire safety was entrusted to a company whose owners are closely connected with Putin’s former apparatus employee and the so-called DPR? And do these contracts have anything to do with “arrivals” on critical infrastructure?
It is noteworthy that a number of facilities, the fire safety of which was handled by the Kovlar Group, became targets for Russian missile attacks. This was noted in his message, in particular, by the famous blogger and political scientist Vitaly Kulik. Coincidence or pattern? StopCor decided to take a closer look at this structure.
According to information and analytical platforms, historically the founders of the company were four people - Kiev resident Ozeychuk, Donetsk residents Vakhitova and Kalafat, and Russian Kurashev.
What is known about the Russian beneficiary?
Roman Kurashev, as noted in his autobiography, was a top manager of Metinvest Holding from 2006 to 2021.
Officially, Roman Kurashev left the Kovlar Group at the end of 2022. In addition, after the full-scale invasion, Kurashev posted a photo in an embroidered shirt, supported Ukraine, but for some reason has not changed his Russian registration since the beginning of the occupation of Donetsk. Just like his wife, Olga, registered in Vladivostok.
On social networks, Stopkorovites also found another Kurashev, also a resident of Vladivostok, Evgeniy. It looks like this is Roman's brother. Because in addition to common appearance features, they like each other’s messages. By the way, in his profile, Evgeny Kurashev writes that he worked in various government agencies in Russia. Zorkema, in the Putin Administration from 2016 to 2018.
Currently, the Kurashevs officially own Ussuri Capital LLC, on whose website Mr. Roman’s autobiography is posted. It is noteworthy that the company is also involved in metal and is based in Turkey.
Another co-founder of Kovlar is Donetsk resident Lyubov Vakhitova.
The woman simultaneously holds a position at the National Academy of Sciences. It also looks like she has a son, Ramil. At least she posted a photo of him on Facebook with the tag “Donetsk people are multiplying.” And on LinkedIn, journalists found the profile of Ramil Vakhitov, commercial director of Kovlar Group.
Several new companies are registered under the same name. For example, Stop Fire Group, which produces paints and varnishes, including fire-resistant ones. It should be noted that Kovlar Group works specifically in the field of fire safety.
The next co-owner and director of Kovlar Group is Konstantin Kalafat.
If we assume that each founder of Kovlar has his own role in business, where Kurashev is money and connections, and Vakhitova is a scientific image and promotion of the younger generation, then Kalafat is experience and past in the entrepreneurial field itself.
It is known that Konstantin Kalafat once tried to get into the public council under the State Emergency Service. And besides Kovlar, he has several other companies. The most interesting of them is Donstroytest LLC. This society is registered in Donetsk and before the Revolution of Dignity worked closely with Russia. For example, back in 2013, Donstroytest boasted on its website that it had passed yet another qualification confirmation for the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.
But the most surprising thing is that after the occupation of Donetsk, “Donstroytest” received registration of the pseudo-republic “DPR”. And at the end of 22, when Putin officially recognized the annexation, the enterprise received federal registration numbers of the Russian Federation. And, most interestingly, Konstantin Kalafat remains the director of these registers.
And that is not all.
After the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of his native Donetsk, Konstantin Kalafat openly participated in a construction forum in Russia with the support of the aggressor government. On the website of the same forum there is his biography, where it is noted that since 1996 he has worked for the Russian manufacturer of fire-resistant materials Endotherm and even rose to the position of deputy director.
Moreover, there are also articles on the Internet about Endotherm products authored by Calafat. For example: "Physico-chemical laws of the process of formation of the fire-retardant coating "Endotherm XT-150".
Let's go to the Russian site "Endotherm". On the main page it is noted that the supplier of materials is the Moscow group of companies Spetsmaterialy, which, in turn, represents in Russia the Ukrainian manufacturer of the same name, LLC NPP Spetsmaterialy.
According to YouControl, the head of this NPP is Leonid Drizhd, and the controlling stake belongs to relatives - Varvara Leonidovna and Viktor Petrovich. Another Special Materials LLC, but without the NPP prefix? also belongs to this family. And this company is still registered in Donetsk.
What does Drijd have to do with Kovlar?
As journalists discovered, Leonid Drizhd is an old friend of the owners of the Kovlar Group - Mr. Kalafat and Ms. Vakhitova. They wrote scientific papers together, received patents, and even founded the public organization “Association of Fire Protection and Audit.”
According to political scientist Vitaly Kulik, Kalafat is known in some scientific and public circles as a person with a pro-Russian streak. But for some reason, this same issue is still not seen by the responsible persons of critical infrastructure facilities.
“He is trying by all means to get contracts for critical infrastructure facilities. And strangely enough, they still let him in. Although, as investigators say, with such skeletons in the closet, the special services should prohibit Mr. Konstantin from even approaching street lamps,” Kulik emphasizes.
What is the overall picture emerging?
It turns out that the Russian Kurashev from the “Donetsk” clan creates the fire-fighting business “Kovlar” after the Maidan, while his probable brother works in Putin’s apparatus. And after February 2022, for some reason, he does not change citizenship, like his wife. And in the midst of war, both are throwing away their efforts and investments abroad.
They take a Donetsk woman to the Kovlar team, who helps her son.
Well, all this is led by the Donetsk resident Kalafat, under whom the occupiers, at the height of the great war, register a company similar in direction in the annexed territories. And it is in the midst of the war that Kalafat and Kovlar are actively moving towards work to restore the consequences of aggression and fire safety of critical infrastructure.
Is there too much overlap in the strategic industry? We hope that the relevant authorities will investigate them.
