Akhmetov says he has stayed in Ukraine since the start of the war with Russia.
Kiev:
Ukraine’s richest man has said he plans to sue Russia over what he said was a ে 17 billion to $ 20 billion loss in the bombing of a steel plant he owned in the town of Mariupol.
Azvastal steelworks suffered extensive damage from Russian bombings and shelling after the sprawling plant became the last stronghold of defense in the southern port city. Akhmetov-owned Ilyich Steel and Iron Works was also badly damaged during the Russian shelling of Mariupol.
“We must sue Russia and demand fair compensation for all losses and losses,” Rinat Akhmetov, owner of Metinvest, Ukraine’s largest steelmaker, told Ukrainian news portal mrpl.city in an interview.
Asked how much money Metinvest lost because of the damage to Azovstal and Ilyich, he said: “The cost of replacement due to the Russian aggression … $ 17 to $ 20 billion. The final amount will be determined in a lawsuit against Russia.”
Billionaire Akhmetov has already seen his business empire crumble before the war, after pro-Russian separatists occupied several territories in eastern Ukraine.
Since the Russian invasion on February 24, Metinvest has announced that it will not be able to deliver its supply agreement. While Akhmetov’s financial and industrial SCM Group is meeting its debt obligations, it has restructured its debt portfolio to its private power producer DTE, he said.
Akhmetov said he had stayed in Ukraine since the start of the war with Russia, adding: “We believe in our country and we believe in our victory.”
(Reporting by Natalia Genetes, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published from a syndicated feed.)
