Russia 'Iooting' Steel Bound for Europe and UK, Yuriy Ryzhenkov

According to the CEO of Ukraine's largest steel company, Metinvest, Russia is stealing $600 million (£500 million) worth of steel from factories and ports in that country. The company is the owner of the Azovstal plant, which served as the last refuge for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians during the destruction of Mariupol.

Some of the steel, which had been destined for customers in the UK, was being transferred to Russia and sold there, according to chief executive Yuriy Ryzhenkov. Mariupol, a hub of commerce and manufacturing that was under constant Russian attack for almost three months, is where Metinvest is headquartered.

According to Mr. Ryzhenkov, the attack on the Azovstal plant resulted in the deaths of 300 employees and 200 of their relatives. Thousands of tonnes of steel had been purchased by customers in Europe, some of whom were in the UK.

He claimed that information about the steel's transfer to Russia and sale there or to nations in Africa and Asia came from both public sources and the company's own informants.

"What they're doing is basically looting. They're stealing not only our products but also some of those products already belong to the European customers. So basically, they're not only stealing from us, they're stealing from the Europeans as well," Mr. Ryzhenkov told the BBC.