Prosecutors have begun inspecting the country’s leading potash producer Uralkali in Russia's Perm region. The results of the investigation are expected on December 1.
Uralkali is based in Berezniki, a town in the north of the Perm region known as the "chemical capital of Russia." The city gained notoriety when giant sinkholes appeared within its borders in 2006. In 2010, another sinkhole appeared near Berezniki’s train station, which shut down entirely. These occurrences have been linked to floods in Uralkali mines.
Some of the buildings in Berezniki are considered too dangerous to live in, due to their proximity to the expanding sinkholes. In 2014, funds from Russia’s federal budget were transferred to Berezniki to build new housing. Uralkali was also meant to finance a third of the housing, but construction has been delayed.
Putin has asked local authorities and Uralkali to explain the delay in building new accommodation.
Uralkali employs 11,300 people in Berezniki. The company produces around 10 million tons of potash a year.
