Rosprirodnadzor Sues Ilim Over Environmental Fees

The Directorate of Rosprirodnadzor for Irkutsk Oblast and the Baikal Natural Territory is seeking to recover over 840 million rubles (about $9.3 million at current rates) from the Ilim Group. This was reported in the materials of the Arbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast.

Rosprirodnadzor filed the lawsuit to collect payment for negative environmental impact for 2024. The amount is approximately 720.5 million rubles (about $8 million at current rates). Another 122.5 million rubles (about $1.36 million) are penalties for late payment. The lawsuit was submitted to the court on January 19, and the next hearing is scheduled for February 19.

Ilim is Russia«s largest pulp and paper company. It owns two branches in Irkutsk Oblast — timber industry complexes in Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk.

The main shareholder of JSC Ilim Group is Ilim SA, registered in Switzerland. Different stakes in Ilim SA are owned by multimillionaire and one of Russia«s richest people Zakhar Smushkin, and billionaires Boris and Mikhail Zingarevich. Until 2023, part of Ilim SA was owned by the American company International Paper, which after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine sold its stake for $484 million to a company owned by Smushkin and Boris Zingarevich.

BLPK (Bratsk Timber Industry Complex) produces market pulp, forest chemicals, and roundwood, according to the Ilim Group website. Annual production volume is 1.1 million tons. The enterprise produces 35% of Russia«s market pulp.

Recently, at a plant of GC Ilim in Bratsk, there was a chlorine release, which injured six people. A criminal case has been opened on this fact.