An illegal landfill organized by a veterinary academy in the Moscow region has caused more than 1.2 billion rubles ($37.7 million) of ecological damage, the Interior Ministry said Monday.
Police said that from 2003 to 2009 the management of the Leonovskoye training facility, which belongs to the Skryabin Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology, organized an unauthorized dumping ground in the Voskresensky district of the Moscow region. The landfill took up 13.5 hectares of agricultural land, Interfax reported.
The training facility had ignored an earlier court decision ordering it to clean the contaminated site, while its agreement with a contractor to recultivate the land failed to result in any real work being done, a police spokesman said.
Furthermore, the company continued to operate the landfill by dumping effluent from water treatment plants on top of the existing landfill, he said.
"Preliminary estimates indicate that the damage to the environment exceeds 1.2 billion rubles," he said.
A criminal case has been opened on charges of abuse of office, which carry a maximum punishment of four years imprisonment.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
