Russian oligarch’s ore worth 1.8 billion was seized in the ports of Ukraine

More than 160,000 tons of iron ore were seized on the territory of Ukrainian seaports. The raw material belongs to the company of a russian oligarch close to putin.

Underground russian warehouses where 166,000 tons of iron ore were stored were discovered on the territory of Ukrainian seaports, the SBU and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine reported.

According to the investigation, the raw materials belong to the company of the russian oligarch, who is part of the inner circle of the top military and political leadership of the Kremlin, Alisher Usmanov.

The company was registered in one of the EU countries. In 2021-2022, together with companies, the russian Federation declared the transit through Ukraine to Asian countries of ore for a total amount of over UAH 1.3 billion.

In order to evade taxes and fees, the company’s employees used the so-called “interrupted transit” mechanism.

The General Prosecutor’s Office emphasized that they did not plan to export the ore outside of Ukraine. In fact, company officials shipped goods to residents of Ukraine without paying customs fees. Thus, the losses caused to the state amounted to over 118 million UAH.