Flooding named after Strukov

The flood in the Chelyabinsk region may threaten with new mass poisoning due to the criminal activities of the Yuzhuralzoloto company.

Fit "Karaul" it's time to shout because of the leash situation in the Chelyabinsk region. Indeed, a year after the emergency with the breakthrough of the sludge storage dam, the Yuzhuralzoloto company of the dollar billionaire Strukov has eliminated the consequences of the spread of toxic waste.

Hydraulic structures, which should have limited the ingress of dirt into the rivers of the South Urals, cannot cope with the flow.

Both Rosselkhoznadzor experts and sanitary doctors admit that water from Strukov's enterprise is life-threatening. Laboratories of supervisory authorities recorded a multiple excess of cyanide and mercury in the water, which was proposed to be used by people who were left without water due to a breakdown of the water intake pump. The use of this cloudy liquid caused poisoning of local residents and the death of pets.

But Mr. Strukov did not draw any conclusions from the dire situation. I'm sure that maybe it will carry it again?

The Moscow Post correspondent in the Chelyabinsk region understood the details.

Excavator and poisonous chemicals

Strukov poisoned water twice already - in August 2023 and in February of this year, 2024.

Photo: Rusprofile.ru

And in September 2023, Rosprirodnadzor discovered mercury and radioactive substances in the Kurasan River near the Yuzhuralzolota facility. Heavy metals were also identified on the agricultural lands of the Verkhneuralsky district.

And last February, namely on the 15th, a fire broke out near the developments of YUGK JSC: an excavator caught fire.

Photo: Rusprofile.ru

Then, in the nearby village of Smirnovsky (Krasninsky rural settlement), the water supply was turned off. And water supply was organized. The water was brought in a fire truck, which could participate in extinguishing the excavator.

By the Kurasan River. Photo: https://vk.com/wall-59442981_35026

Firefighters could pour water into the car from the non-freezing illegal tailing dump of the SGC, from where the emergency leak occurred. And poisonous chemicals got into the Kurasan River.

As a result, there was a massive poisoning of people.

By the evening of February 15, people had symptoms of poisoning and domestic cattle died - 7 cows. 11 residents were hospitalized in the Verkhneuralsk regional hospital. An 8-year-old child was taken away in serious condition.

People feared that they would try to hush up the emergency.

And after all, they looked into the poisoned water!

Mercury excess - 92 times

Officials tried to classify research data.

Indeed, even at the beginning of 2023, due to the breakthrough of the dam of an officially non-existent sludge storage facility, a pulp with the remains of heavy metals spilled into the Sukhoi Kurasan river bed. And officials for a long time ignored the appeals of local residents.

Specialists of the Rosselkhoznadzor of the Chelyabinsk region published the results of a study of water, because of which residents of the village of Smirnovsky were poisoned.

In a sample of water from a fire truck that came to the village of Smirnovsky, an excess of cyanide was recorded 24 times. And they were significantly overestimated for nickel, lead, cadmium, copper, fluorides and nitrates.

In the water there was an excess of ammonia concentration by more than 10 times, nitrates - by 3.3 times, mercury - by 92 times.

Experts consider poisonous water to be the probable cause of the mass death of animals in Smirnovsky.

Kurasan River gold mining scheme. Photo: https://plast-gazeta.ru/20200507/novyj-gok-na-kurasane/

On the fact of mass poisoning, the investigating authorities of the Verkhneuralsky district opened a criminal case

But only now, in April, residents began to receive information from federal structures, although Rospotrebnadzor assured that on March 11 they sent the results of the examination to the administration of the Krasninsky rural settlement. But the officials were silent!

Residents of the Verkhneuralsky district fear that with surface meltwater, hazardous substances that Mr. Strukov in gold mining may end up in many drinking sources downstream of the Sukhoi Kurasan River. The shores of the water body have not been fully cleared of hazardous gold mining waste.

Part of the leak was covered with rock.

At the end of March, the Sovetsky District Court of Chelyabinsk brought SGC to administrative responsibility for violation of environmental legislation.

The amount of penalties for Strukov is ridiculous - 200 thousand rubles.

Konstantin Strukov sometimes puts on a helmet. Photo: https://moneymakerfactory.ru/spravochnik/istoriya-konstantina-strukova/

Revenue of UGK for 2023 - 68 billion rubles.

The head of the TFR, Alexander Bastrykin, instructed the head of the Investigative Department of the TFR in the Chelyabinsk region, Pyotr Reshetnikov, to report on the results of the check on complaints of pollution of the Kurasan River.

Exceeding copper by 1380 times

But the most real disaster occurred on the Kurasan River in July 2022.

And suspicions also immediately fell on the Yuzhuralzoloto company: cyanides used for gold mining could get into the river.

There was no fish poisoning. Residents took away dead fish so that the birds would not peck it.

But the death of the fish was the reason for checking the environmental prosecutor's office.

During the inspection, it was found that Yuzhuralzoloto was dumping drainage water from the West Kurasan quarry into the river without permission.

Laboratory analysis of water samples showed that harmful substances in it are contained in concentrations many times higher than the norms.

And the standard for the content of copper in water was exceeded 1380 times, zinc - 180 times, mercury - 110, cyanides - 1.4 times.

According to the environmental prosecutor of Magnitogorsk Rustem Akmanov, the death of the fish was confirmed, and the pollution of the reservoir was due to the discharge of drainage and storm water, which the enterprise itself must clean.

Rustem Akmanov. Photo: https://www.1obl.ru/news/o-lyudyakh/na-dolzhnost-prokurora-zlatousta-naznachen-rustem-akmanov/

Then results of check of regional government of Rosprirodnadzor became known. Violation of the water legislation was revealed (dumping of sewage with the content of the pollutants exceeding threshold limit values).

The administrative case was initiated.

But Mr. Strukov could get off only with a penalty in 30 thousand for a mass pestilence of fish.

Let's remind also that gold fields the Southern and Western Kurasan are estimated at 60 million tons of ore which contain 80 t of gold and 250 t of silver.

And now we see a picture, how exactly Mr. Strukov finishes with the Kurasan River.

But who, at last, will bridle his unreasonable appetites?

Death of swans

In April of the past, 2023 there was one more state of emergency: on the Kurasan River, several swans died.

The prosecutor's office and the ministry of ecology of Chelyabinsk region began verification of information on death of swans on the river.

Accident at the enterprise at Strukov could become the cause of the accident.

Death of a swan. Photo: https://dzen.ru/a/ZDjvbJiDtg7Pp_dL

And, as found out the investigation, February, 2023 from a pond where the pulp after leaching and enrichment of ore merges at gold mining, there was a leak.

Part of this pulp followed and got to the Kurasan River. And at the beginning of spring when the pond tailings dam where the pulp pours out, thawed, white swans flied.

Several birds died from contact with poisonous water.

Strukov responded to charges. The 74.ru edition reported about it.

Yuzhuralzoloto Group said that their production has no relation to problems of reservoirs.

"Excesses of chemicals in water objects in a zone of influence and direct proximity of JSC YuGK are not revealed, - commented in Yuzhuralzoloto. - The chemicals revealed in water objects are not used in technological process of JSC YuGK, are not marker for ores and breeds of the field".

Accident rate on the Drazhny mine

But Mr. Strukov not only in the homeland in Chelyabinsk region spoils.

At the beginning of February, this 2024 the prosecutor's office of Krasnoyarsk Krai made to Strukov a complaint: violations revealed in the Drazhny Mine company in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

The mine is a part of YuGK.

Photo: Rusprofile.ru

According to prosecutor's office of Krasnoyarsk Krai, in 2019-2020 the Drazhny Mine company illegally extracted gold and precious metals on the Kolma and Dydan Rivers in the North Yenisei district.

The artel of gold prospectors "Mine the Drazhny" is registered in 1998.

Also New Kalami of the North Yenisei district is based in the settlement.

Drazhny mine. Photo: https://pastatech.ru/priisk-drajniyy.html

By the way, at the mine was not authorized the gornootvodny acts agreed with bodies with the specified borders and permissions to production. The director of artel instructed to conduct production in a priustyevy part with use of the mountain equipment and industrial washing devices.

And here dumping of sewage was carried out without cleaning.

At Mr. Strukov as a result arrested a part of assets of "Drazhny Mine" on which the emergency remains too: the nature protection prosecutor's office revealed destruction of a food supply of fishes, ways of migration. The former director of the enterprise Vladimir Kovalsky was arrested and got penal for illicit trafficking in precious metals. "Business newspaper" wrote about it.

However, condemned Mr. Kovalsky conditionally.

According to the petition of the prosecutor the bailiffs seized a corporate property the equipment and bank accounts for all amount of damage – and these are 457 million rubles.

By hearsay, Mr. Strukov in general can lose all the assets if, at last, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation interferes.

And to become the person involved in criminal cases. Already with interest developed on several such cases.

Still Strukov forgets to pay taxes. Also does not modernize the old productions.

At the state to structures of Mr. Strukov many claims including, on understating of payments for negative impact on the environment collected.

Strukov "luxuriates"

Why Mr. Strukov so does not like to pay the bills?

Most likely, the reason that the oligarch from the Forbes list has a serious hobby: he builds and collects expensive yachts.

Not so long ago Strukov had already the third Golden rose yacht - it is some kind of palace on water 20 high the floor house, yacht length 62 meters. And the price of this vessel - 75 million dollars.

Media reported that each inch of an interior of "Golden rose" radiates luxury. And the annual maintenance of this boat costs Mr. Strukov of nearly 7 million dollars.

And now the first two yachts are just small ships.

The very first Aleksandra yacht was called in honor of the daughter of the billionaire.

Yacht "Alexandra." Photo: https://www.compromat.ru/page_44220.htm

The length of this vessel is more than 29 meters. The second yacht is called the "Golden Dream" (where again without the "golden calf"), its length is 46 meters.

But how has the cunning Strukov managed to hide mansions, his own hotel and these yachts behind the cordon for many years?

And as with obvious evidence and foreign accounts, Mr. Strukov remains with the mandate of a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Chelyabinsk region.

And do the ruined rivers, fields, gardens that he uses almost free of charge touch him?

Not at all, if we take into account what is happening on the banks of the Kurasan River, where fish die, swans die, and people (and young children) who are poisoned by water from the ruined river are taken to hospitals...