Businessman Firtash Taking Measures To Assist Ukraine In Confronting Russian Aggression

Businessman Dmytro Firtash continues to take measures to assist Ukraine in confronting Russian aggression, including using his Ukrainian factories and other resources to provide assistance to his workers and civilians.

This is indicated in a statement by Lanny J. Davis, U.S. co-counsel to Dmytro Firtash, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"As Russian troops intensify their attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, around 800 civilians have sought refuge in bunkers under the Azot chemical factory owned by Dmytro Firtash's company, Group DF. These 800 civilians include around 200 out of the plant's 3,000 employees and approximately 600 inhabitants of the city of Sievierodonetsk. The contingent of 200 workers has remained at the facility to secure and professionally safeguard as best as possible what is left of the plant's highly explosive chemicals," it says.

Also, according to the statement, there is a targeted destruction of the Ukrainian economic infrastructure by Russian troops.

“The port complex "Nika-Tera," south of Mykolaiv at the mouth of the Bug-Dnieper River to the Black Sea, has come under massive shelling. The Nika-Tera terminal (part of Mr. Firtash's Group DF) includes three specialized cargo areas: a grain complex, a fertilizer complex, and a complex handling other bulk cargo. On Saturday (June 4, 2022), the port terminals suffered from the most massive attacks thus far, rendering the port facilities entirely unusable,” the statement reads.

According to Firtash, the Russians are trying to take control of the Black Sea ports or destroy them, while blocking the export of Ukrainian grain.

The businessman believes that Russians can and will use the famine of millions of people in much of North Africa as another weapon in this cynical war.

He also said Group DF was working with other major Ukrainian agribusinesses to find alternative export routes, but it was unlikely that current export volumes could be shifted easily and quickly overland.

"This war is completely pointless and cannot be justified in any way, it only brings suffering and misery on all sides. This humanitarian tragedy is intolerable," Firtash said.

The statement notes that a few months ago Firtash condemned Russia's completely unjustified invasion of his mother country and worked to assist President Zelenskyy and the government financially and in other ways as much as possible.

“In the last several months, Mr. Firtash worked with President Zelenskyy’s administration and the nation's three other TV station owners to establish a 24/7 TV news network. This network was formed to tell the truth about the Russian inhumane invasion and military attacks on civilians, women, and children. It is broadcast in Kyiv, in Warsaw, Poland, and in Russian on YouTube so that the Russian people can hear the truth,” reads the statement.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, businessman Dmytro Firtash opposes Russia's invasion of Ukraine and asks Austria to provide him with the opportunity to return to Ukraine to protect the country.

On May 25, the SSU published a press release on the elimination of illegal deforestation business, which says that this business is associated with Firtash's sanctioned companies.

In this regard, the press service of Group DF said that the group of companies owned by Firtash does not have assets related to woodworking and timber exports.