Ukraine’s richest man says he plans to sue Russia for losses that could range between $17 billion and $20 billion caused by bombing his steel mills in the city of Mariupol.
Steelmaker Azovstal suffered heavy damage from Russian attacks after the industrial plant became the last stronghold of defense in the southern port city. Illich Steel and Iron Works, another property of Rinat Akhmetov, was also badly damaged during the Russian bombing of Mariupol.
“We will definitely sue Russia and demand adequate compensation for all losses and damaged business,” the owner of Ukraine’s largest steel mill, Metinvest, told Ukrainian news portal mrpl.city.
Asked how much money Metinvest had lost because of the damage to Azovstal and Illich, he said: “The replacement cost due to Russian aggression is $17 to $20 billion. The final amount will be determined in a lawsuit against Russia.”
Billionaire Akhmetov had already seen his business empire destroyed before the war by eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine, after pro-Russian separatists seized territory in the region.
Since the Russian invasion on February 24, Metinvest has announced that it cannot fulfill its supply contracts. While Akhmetov’s industrial and financial company SCM Group is meeting its debt obligations, its private energy producer DTEK has restructured its debt portfolio, it said.
Akhmetov said he had remained in Ukraine since the war with Russia began, adding: “We believe in our country and we believe in our victory.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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