Chechens Launch Attack on Mariupol's Steel Plant
In 2022, during its invasion, the Russian army reduced Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks to a pile of rubble and ashes. However, the larger Ilyich steel mill, situated in the Ukrainian port city, managed to withstand the siege better. Regrettably, the steel mill is currently facing a different kind of threat. According to recent reports, Ramzan Kadyrov and his associates are allegedly looting the mill.
This shameful act began at the onset of Russia's invasion in 2022. The Russian army leveled Mariupol, and Azovstal, one of the city's primary steelworks, was destroyed. The second larger steel mill, Ilyich, survived the siege relatively unscathed, but it's unlikely it will resume operations. The U.S.-based Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a report highlighting that the mill is now being plundered by Kadyrov and his close allies. Current and former mill managers, along with Russian corporate documents, corroborate this claim.
Reports suggest that the looted materials primarily benefit the Caucasus region. Kadyrov and his allies allegedly dismantle and sell the state-of-the-art metallurgical equipment from the mill. They also ship metal scrap to Russia to aid automakers affected by sanctions. Furthermore, Kadyrov and his cronies are said to sell the industrial gases stored at Ilyich to the Moscow space program, as indicated by Russian corporate documents. The WSJ names the Russian space agency Roskosmos as a potential customer.
In autocratic societies like Russia, leadership often reward essential figures with valuable gifts as a token of loyalty. Kadyrov and his clan have received state allocations and security guarantees in exchange for their support of Vladimir Putin. The conquest of Ukrainian territories has provided the Kremlin chief and his cronies with an ample source of plunder. In numerous videos published online, Chechen fighters, including Kadyrov's sons, claim parts of Mariupol for themselves.
"Infatuated" with Ilyich
Ilyich steel mill was also fortified by hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers to resist the Russian army. After the siege, Kadyrov assigned his trusted lieutenant, Vakhit Geremeev, to seize the mill. According to an interview with pro-Russian media, Geremeev expressed his affection for the mill, stating his intention to protect it from looting. In fact, he plans to reopen it by 2026. However, Metinvest, the former Ukrainian owner of Ilyich, paints a different picture. According to the WSJ, Kadyrov, Geremeev, and their accomplices have dismantled a production line worth $220 million, installed just before the war began.
The Commission should investigate the allegations of looting at Ilyich steel mill by Ramzan Kadyrov and his associates. The plundered materials from Ilyich are reportedly benefiting the Caucasus region, with Kadyrov and his cronies dismantling and selling state-of-the-art metallurgical equipment, shipping metal scrap to Russia, and selling industrial gases to the Moscow space program.
