[Summary translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

Predatory Offensive on Polissya, 1 February 2019

In February 2019, the All-Ukrainian Ecological League was approached by concerned residents of Korosten district in Zhytomyr region. They reported on the intentions of the mining company Valky Ilmenite LLC to expand its operations in the territory of the Stremohorod deposit.

The open-pit method of developing the Stremigorodske deposit and beneficiation of ores is associated with a set of phenomena that significantly affect the environment. These include changes in hydrogeological conditions due to mining operations, possible depletion of groundwater reserves, drainage of small rivers, swamps and lakes, deterioration of water supply conditions for the local population, and pollution of surface and groundwater in the area affected by tailings dumps, dumps and sumps.

The resistance of local residents can be explained by the obvious negative impacts of neighbouring geological developments. A striking example is the disturbed territory of the Lemnensky mine of Irshansky GOK in Korosten district. The Polissya landscape has been changed beyond recognition: the forest has been cut down, the fertile soil layer removed, huge quarry dumps formed, wells in nearby villages have dried up, water in lakes has become "dead", and the surrounding mining and processing facilities have become a real threat to the livelihoods of local residents.