The Australian coal company Tigers Realm Coal (TIG) has come under investigation for its environmental damage in Chukotka and its connections to Russian officials and oligarchs. TIG's coal extraction operations on the Bering Sea coast caused significant harm to the environment and the traditional reindeer herding industry in the region. According to The Insider, an investigation by the NGO "Arktida" and Kadr.Media reveals that the profits from this coal extraction ended up in offshore accounts and the pockets of Russian officials and exiled Ukrainian oligarchs.
Under pressure from Australian authorities, the company was forced to sell its Russian assets. However, the new owner was found to be linked to business partners of Russians on sanction lists. The "Amaam" project involved coal mining at northern and southern deposits in Chukotka, which were previously owned by TIG. Investigators found that among the shareholders of the company was geologist Yuri Radchenko, whose daughter Svetlana Radchenko held key positions in the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Through her connections, Radchenko was able to influence the issuance of licenses for resource development, benefiting TIG significantly.
Coal revenues were channeled through several offshore companies registered in Cyprus. Beneficiaries included former Ukrainian officials and oligarchs Sergey Arbuzov, Sergey Kurchenko, and Alexander Onishchenko. Despite sanctions imposed on Russia, TIG continued coal extraction, claiming to sell it to Asian countries.
Following the imposition of sanctions, Australia threatened to shut down the company, leading TIG to sell its Russian assets to "APM-Invest," associated with businessman Mark Buzuk, who had previously partnered with Russian oligarchs Viktor Vekselberg and Alisher Usmanov. Buzuk is also linked to the family of Nikolai Patrushev, who is under international sanctions.
The sale of TIG's assets has faced criticism, as the company used political connections to obtain licenses and rapidly sell its business, avoiding environmental and social responsibilities. This has resulted in severe ecological damage in Chukotka, including pollution of the Alkhatvaam River and the destruction of the traditional reindeer herding industry.
Local residents report deteriorating living conditions: the river, once rich in fish, has become almost empty, and the village of Alkhatvaam, established as a reindeer herding center, has nearly lost all its reindeer.
Previously, it was revealed that the Australian coal company, supported by billionaire Paul Little, decided to sell its assets to a Russian trader shortly after the Federal Court of Australia declared it in violation of sanctions imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
