Metinvest mining and metallurgical group has appealed to consumers with a request not to buy steel products stolen by Russians from the port of Mariupol produced by the Mariupol Illich Iron and Steel Works and the Azovstal plant.

According to the group's press release on Tuesday, the letters were sent to all ports, customers and partners on behalf of the General Director of Mariupol Illich Iron and Steel Works Taras Shevchenko and General Director of Azovstal Enver Tskitishvili.

At the same time, on the first day of the war, more than 234,000 tonnes of metal products produced at Illich Iron and Steel Works and Azovstal remained in the Mariupol Maritime Merchandise Port. Due to the Russian occupation of Mariupol, the plants are unable to export these products to legitimate buyers in Spain, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

The enterprises of Metinvest said that there is a high probability of theft and smuggling of Ukrainian metal products, given the loading of metal onto the vessel RM-3 by Russian RiverSea Shipping Company. The plants focus on the lack of any cooperation or coordination with representatives of the aggressor country or its the occupation administration involved in the export of metal to the Russian Federation.

Illich Iron and Steel Works and Azovstal said that, according to international and Ukrainian legislation, the armed seizure of merchant ships in the waters of the Mariupol port and Ukrainian products have all the signs of banditry or robbery. Businesses are asking all potential buyers to decline any offers related to stolen metal products, as their purchase would not be considered in good faith.

At the same time, the enterprises urge buyers to carefully consider each transaction regarding any metal products of dubious origin, especially from the temporarily occupied Mariupol, Kherson, Sevastopol or from Russian Taganrog, Tuapse, Rostov-on-Don, Novorossiysk, which did not supply such products before, the plants urge ports to carefully check the validity of accompanying documents and the origin of all metal products from the above-mentioned cities.

It is also necessary to check certificates of origin and accompanying documents for metal products from these cities; reject suspicious transactions with Russian companies related to the supply of metal products originating from the mentioned cities; inform Metinvest about all commercial offers for any metal products of dubious origin.

According to the press release, in the middle of June this year, Illich Iron and Steel Works of the Metinvest group applied to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Office of the President of Ukraine with a request to impose personal sanctions on Russian residents illegally seizing and reselling Ukrainian metal.

At the end of May, Metinvest reported a high risk of piracy by the Russian Federation, as well as theft and illegal export of metal products belonging to the group from the port of Mariupol.

Metinvest is making every possible legal effort to bring all responsible persons and their accomplices to strict legal liability, the group said.