Security Agency to Probe Steel Giant for Polluting Air in Zelensky’s Hometown
The Security Service of Ukraine has opened a criminal investigation into steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal for air pollution in Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown. The SBU announced the investigation in a July 17 statement. It did not name the private industrial enterprise accused of ecocide extensive damage to the environment but the target iss obviously ArcelorMittal, the largest steel plant in the country, which is based in Kryvyi Rih, a city of 635,000 people located more than 400 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.
Just days earlier, on July 12, Zelensky had visited Kryvyi Rih, one of the most polluted cities in the country, and criticized ArcelorMittal for failing to reduce toxic emissions that harm the health of city residents.
In a July 17 statement, the company said it has not received any official information regarding the probe, but is ready to cooperate with investigators. Its emissions have been within the permitted limits, the company said, and hinted that it could be facing political retribution ahead of the parliamentary vote on July 21. Polls indicate that Zelensky’s party is likely to be the biggest winner in the election. The statement read that “We hope the increased attention to our enterprise from state agencies and various political forces and the launch of an investigation by SBU on the eve of the elections is a coincidence and doesn’t indicate deliberate pressure on business.”
ArcelorMittal’s acting general director, Mr Oleksandr Ivanov, said that the plant has lowered emissions by 48% in 13 years and invested USD 4.4 billion in modernizing its steel mills.
Source : Kyiv Post