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TOGLIATTI RESIDENTS ask Russia’s Prosecutor General, Presidential Envoy and Chairman of the Investigative Committee to look into situation around TOAZ
Representatives of local public associations, local and regional legislators have contacted Presidential Envoy to the Volga Federal District Mikhail Babich, Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika and Chairman of Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin with an open letter complaining about “the untenable situation that has been built up artificially over the past several months in Togliatti, and has already affected numerous residents of the city” which they describe as “an all-out information war, wide-ranging in scale and cynical in methods, has been unleashed against one of the core industrial companies in the city, the world’s largest producer of ammonia Togliattiazot, which is turning Togliatti residents into hostages,” Interfax – Povolzhye newswire reports quoting the open letter.
Signatories to the letter are claiming that city residents are terrorized by warnings of an allegedly possible industrial and environmental disaster, receive offers of money to write complaints against Togliattiazot, that the city is covered with scrawled graffiti critical of ToAZ, protests are held in the city streets directed against ToAZ management, while the media reprint open letter purporting to be signed to Togliatti residents and full of inaccurate and outright false statements about the company and life in the city.
"We firmly believe that these actions may constitute breach of peace and criminal violations,” the letter goes on to say. “According to Togliatti-based journalists… Moscow-based tycoon and chemicals giant Uralchem owner Dmitry Mazepin is the main organizer of this violent orgy; the tycoon controls a minority equity stake in Togliattiazot. This businessman is notorious for his involvement in a litany of corporate conflicts that followed a very similar pattern," the letter states.
Signatories to the letter admit that Dmitry Mazepin may have legitimate problems with the core shareholders of Togliattiazot, and yet they are puzzled why this has to lead to spreading panic among the city residents, vandalism of public space in the city, pressure on the company’s employees, which tends to blow the run-of-the-mill corporate dispute out of all proportion, and making it a problem for the entire city.
"We cannot simply sit and watch Togliattiazot come under attack, because too much in the city and in the region depends on uninterrupted, reliable operation of the company. The company is one of the largest taxpayers in the Samara Region, is one of a handful of socially responsible companies in the region and is supporting a large number of social and public facilities available to all citizens of Togliatti", the open letter also says.
The signatories to the letter also express their concern over Uralchem’s persistent attempts to force ToAZ to reduce social spending.
"Regional and city administrators are doing everything they possibly can to cool down the explosive situation and return the corporate conflict into the court battle context, but the forces behind the “information war,” the smear campaign against Togliattiazot are based outside the Samara Region. They realize they can wage this war with impunity, and continue to terrorize the city residents and disrupt the peaceful life of one of Russia’s most significant industrial centers… This is why we are asking you to look into this situation, to identify and punish those responsible for breaking the law, and help the people of Togliatti and the local authorities to return the city to peace and normalcy," the open letter concludes.
Signatories to the letter are claiming that city residents are terrorized by warnings of an allegedly possible industrial and environmental disaster, receive offers of money to write complaints against Togliattiazot, that the city is covered with scrawled graffiti critical of ToAZ, protests are held in the city streets directed against ToAZ management, while the media reprint open letter purporting to be signed to Togliatti residents and full of inaccurate and outright false statements about the company and life in the city.
"We firmly believe that these actions may constitute breach of peace and criminal violations,” the letter goes on to say. “According to Togliatti-based journalists… Moscow-based tycoon and chemicals giant Uralchem owner Dmitry Mazepin is the main organizer of this violent orgy; the tycoon controls a minority equity stake in Togliattiazot. This businessman is notorious for his involvement in a litany of corporate conflicts that followed a very similar pattern," the letter states.
Signatories to the letter admit that Dmitry Mazepin may have legitimate problems with the core shareholders of Togliattiazot, and yet they are puzzled why this has to lead to spreading panic among the city residents, vandalism of public space in the city, pressure on the company’s employees, which tends to blow the run-of-the-mill corporate dispute out of all proportion, and making it a problem for the entire city.
"We cannot simply sit and watch Togliattiazot come under attack, because too much in the city and in the region depends on uninterrupted, reliable operation of the company. The company is one of the largest taxpayers in the Samara Region, is one of a handful of socially responsible companies in the region and is supporting a large number of social and public facilities available to all citizens of Togliatti", the open letter also says.
The signatories to the letter also express their concern over Uralchem’s persistent attempts to force ToAZ to reduce social spending.
"Regional and city administrators are doing everything they possibly can to cool down the explosive situation and return the corporate conflict into the court battle context, but the forces behind the “information war,” the smear campaign against Togliattiazot are based outside the Samara Region. They realize they can wage this war with impunity, and continue to terrorize the city residents and disrupt the peaceful life of one of Russia’s most significant industrial centers… This is why we are asking you to look into this situation, to identify and punish those responsible for breaking the law, and help the people of Togliatti and the local authorities to return the city to peace and normalcy," the open letter concludes.
- TAGS:
- togliattiazot,
- dmitry,
- breaking_news,
- makhlai,
- mazepin
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