It was claimed that the steel with a market value of more than 600 million dollars seized by Russia in Ukraine’s largest steel factory and ports was marketed in the domestic market and sold in Asia and Africa.
Yuriy Rizhenkov, CEO of Metinvest, of which Azovstal Steelworks in Mauripol is affiliated, told the BBC that some of the steel is prepaid orders from European customers.
Azovstal Steel Factory, where hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians took refuge, fell to Russian forces in May after more than two months of siege and shelling.
With the evacuation of the factory where members of the Azov Battalion linked to far-right groups were evacuated, the port city of Mariupol was completely under Russian control.
Mauripol is one of the most important industrial and commercial centers of Ukraine.
Azovstal and the Ilic steelworks, a subsidiary of the same group, produced 40 percent of Ukrainian steel.
“WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS LOADING”
Metinvest’s CEO, Rizhenkov, said that in addition to 300 employees at the factory, 200 relatives of these people lost their lives.
Based on publicly available sources and information obtained by the company itself, Rizhenkov claimed that the steel taken from Ukraine was sold to some countries and said, “What they are doing is looting. They are not only stealing the steel that belongs to us, but also the steel that European customers pay for,” he said.
“WE WILL NOT LEAVE THEM”
Yuriy Rizhenkov said, “At some stage, the Russians will be tried not only in international courts, but also in criminal courts. We will not let them go,” he said.
The BBC’s attempt to get a response from the Russian Ministry of Defense regarding the allegations proved fruitless.
Professor of international law from the University of Reading in England. Marko Milanovich stated that looting is very common in wars and said, “You can sue, but the probability of getting compensation in cases brought against the looting state is very low. But they may seek spiritual satisfaction. It may be important for Russia to be documented in court that it is violating the rules,” he said.
Last month, the BBC’s news verification team, Reality Check, found evidence showing that Russian forces were selling agricultural products stolen from areas occupied in Ukraine, outside the country.