Eco-raider Pavlo Kuftyryev has set his sights on taking over a new target — the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant

Eco-raider Pavlo Kuftyryev has set his sights on taking over a new target — the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant

The attacks on the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant are orchestrated by eco-raider Pavlo Kuftyryev. He is attempting to block the operations of the largest enterprise in the Mykolaiv region, writes Obozrevatel.

Kuftyryev’s goal is to "extort" money from a successful business. To achieve this, he established a puppet public organization called "Stop Sludge." The "activists" of this organization suddenly became concerned about the decades-old sludge drying facility of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant, which allegedly poses a threat to local residents. "They started inciting panic among locals over this issue, whom, as reported by media, they tried to recruit into the CBO by any means—as ’extras’ and to lend weight to their actions against the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant," writes Obozrevatel.

The fraudulent nature of the organization is confirmed by its own Facebook page. It was created on January 27, 2020—ten days after the CBO’s registration. On February 4, 13 news pieces about the harm of red sludge were published one after another with a minute or two in between. "Another post was published almost a week later, on February 10. And that was it, the fighters for people’s rights had nothing else to say to these very people," the article states.

Formally, "Stop Sludge" is headed by Vasyl Orel, but according to media, the organization is run by Kuftyryev’s assistant Oleksiy Frantsuz. Together, they are seeking a "favorable" expert opinion on the chemical composition of the sludge to claim "damage compensation" from the plant through the courts. "Besides money, Kuftyryev might also be interested in influencing the owners of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant, as well as possibly other enterprises whose activities are somehow tied to the products of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant," the publication writes.

Using such a scheme, Kuftyryev and his right-hand man, Frantsuz, have been raiding successful businesses over the past few years. For example, they used a similar tactic to attack BRSM-Nafta. The company is being raided with the help of the fake CBO "Fund to Overcome the Consequences of the Vasylkiv Tragedy." To pressure "Complex Agromars"—a major chicken producer under the TM "Havrylivski Kurchata"—Kuftyryev created the CBO "Green Fund."