Rosprirodnadzor Demands Over 400M Rubles for Soil Contamination

The Arbitration Court of the Saratov Region has accepted for proceedings a lawsuit from the Interregional Department of Rosprirodnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources) to recover over 411.8 million rubles (approximately $4.1 million at current rates) from LLC «Komplex Vspomogatelnykh Proizvodstv» (Complex of Auxiliary Productions). According to the agency, the damage was caused by soil contamination with oil products and heavy metals on a plot in the Balakovo district.

The lawsuit was prompted by the results of a survey of a land plot with cadastral number 64:05:131201:6, located in the Krasnoyarsk municipal formation (the area of the «settling pond» of Lake Mokhovoye). Laboratory tests revealed exceedances of standards for oil products, iron, manganese, copper, lead, and zinc in the soil.

A preliminary court hearing in the case is scheduled for 2 March 2026 at the Arbitration Court of the Saratov Region. The court has ordered the plaintiff to provide additional evidence, and the defendant to submit a response to the lawsuit with detailed objections and copies of founding documents.

This is not the first case of large-scale environmental violations in the Balakovo district. In 2023, on the territory of the former Khimvolokno plant, damage of 236 million rubles (approximately $2.4 million at current rates) was identified due to soil contamination with sulfur and oil products. At that time, the agency did not rule out initiating criminal proceedings.

In 2024, it also became known that Rosprirodnadzor filed a lawsuit against LLC «Proizvodstvenny Kompleks No. 5» (Production Complex No. 5) to recover 772.7 million rubles (approximately $7.7 million at current rates). The contamination covered over 35 hectares of land in the same Balakovo district (plot 64:05:131201:4).

According to open sources, «Komplex Vspomogatelnykh Proizvodstv» is registered in Saratov. The company has been operating since 2007. In 2020, its authorized capital was almost 31 million rubles (approximately $310,000 at current rates). According to financial reports for 2024, the enterprise«s revenue amounted to 39 million rubles (approximately $390,000), while net loss was 50 million rubles (approximately $500,000).

The enterprise specializes in the repair of machinery and equipment, and also engages in the production of gas and electricity, construction, scrap metal trading, and other activities. The organization is managed by Valery Tyulyukin. The owners of the enterprise are listed as Viktor Yershov (0.14% of the authorized capital) and JSC «Agrofinans» (99.86%).