He ordered the removal of UAH 700 million worth of metal from the ports of Mariupol. The head of the “DPR” Pushylin was declared the suspicion

Prosecutors from the Donetsk Regional Prosecutorʼs Office reported suspicions to the leader of the "DPR" Denis Pushylin — according to the investigation, he illegally disposed of the property of Ukrainian enterprises in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region and ordered the removal of metal worth over UAH 700 million from the Mariupol seaport.

The Donetsk Prosecutorʼs Office reported this without naming the person involved, but the indicated position is held by Denys Pushylin.

According to the investigation, after Russia occupied Mariupol in 2022, the leader of the "DPR" ordered the fake administration of the captured sea commercial port to export products from the “Azovstal” and Ilyich metallurgical plants.

These are metal products that the enterprises shipped to the purchasing company, in particular:

• rolled steel;
• cast steel slabs;
• hot-rolled sheets and coils.

The total weight of the stolen metal is almost 30 thousand tons, and the market value exceeds UAH 700 million. The Donetsk prosecutorʼs office says that Pushylin was aware that this metal was not a dual-use good and that it could not be used for military purposes.

The actions of the leader of the "DPR" were qualified as a violation of the laws and customs of war. In addition, it violates the rules of the Geneva and Hague Conventions, which stipulate that it is forbidden to loot and take private property.

• The leader of the "DPR" Denis Pushylin has already been sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for encroaching on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, collaborationism, and participation in organizing an illegal referendum, and his accomplice Artem Zhoha has been sentenced to 12 years.
• In March 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) declared the suspicion to Pushylin of organizing pseudo-elections for Putin in the temporarily occupied Donetsk region.

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