After the imposition of sanctions, Russian timber companies no longer have to worry about the environment – current buyers do not care about nature, and it is no longer profitable to follow the old principles.
Segezha Group is the largest holding in this area, owned by billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov, owner of AFK Sistema. Now Segezha is cutting down valuable forests.
In 2022, the company lifted the moratorium on deforestation of about 1.5 million hectares in Karelia, Komi, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk and Arkhangelsk regions. In Karelia, 680 hectares of valuable forest untouched by man have already been destroyed, which ensures climate stability and allows animals in the Red Book to survive. The Ministry of Natural Resources believes that these actions are legal: the territory has not yet been recognized as a specially protected area, it may take years to register it as a reserve, and in the absence of a conservation status, logging is allowed.
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