[Summary translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Centre]

Servant of the People handed over the country’s strategic resources to ATB owner Butkevych, 28 January 2025

...Violations of the Environmental Impact Assessment Procedure

Any activity that may have a significant impact on the environment requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which provides for the mandatory evaluation of environmental consequences. All EIA documentation for the Perzhanske deposit was prepared with numerous violations, including:

• Falsification of public hearings. Residents of nearby areas were not properly informed about the planned activities, while announcements were published in local outlets with limited circulation, effectively preventing public access to important information.
• Understatement of environmental risks. The EIA report artificially reduced indicators of air, water, and soil pollution. The potential impact on the flora and fauna of the Polissia Nature Reserve was not properly assessed, and the necessary scientific studies were not conducted.

Despite these apparent violations, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine approved a positive conclusion, which allowed the permit to be issued.

Consequences and Risks of Beryllium Extraction

A serious concern is not only the extraction itself but also the alleged underreporting of beryllium production volumes by the company. This allows Perzhanska Ore Company LLC to avoid paying full rent payments and taxes, depriving the state of proper revenues from the use of national resources.

According to expert estimates, beryllium reserves at the Perzhanske deposit are valued at $80–100 billion. However, the company is reported to deliberately understate actual production volumes — real figures significantly exceed declared ones. This enables the company to unlawfully increase its profits while the state loses substantial revenue.

Perzhanska Ore Company LLC has also been accused of repeatedly violating Ukrainian environmental legislation. Under the Laws of Ukraine “On Environmental Protection” and “On Environmental Impact Assessment,” beryllium extraction must be accompanied by strict monitoring and evaluation of environmental consequences. However, the company is said to disregard these requirements, generating toxic waste containing hazardous elements such as heavy metals and radioactive substances.

These wastes contaminate soil, water, and the atmosphere, leading to large-scale pollution of aquifers and the destruction of flora and fauna in the Polissia Nature Reserve. In addition, the company allegedly neglects safety standards, putting workers’ lives at risk due to the lack of personal protective equipment and the use of machinery that does not meet safety requirements.