| Ukrainians write a note to Moscow The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to send a request note to Russia regarding the construction of an ammonia and oil terminal on the Russian Taman Peninsula. This was stated yesterday by Igor Ostash, head of the Rada commission for control of the state border in the Tuzla Spit area. In Kyiv, it is not ruled out that the Russian authorities lobbied for the construction of a dam in the Kerch Strait in the interests of big business, in particular the Togliattiazot enterprise.
To transship ammonia and petroleum products near the village of Volna on Taman, not far from Tuzla Spit, the Russians are building the Zhelezny Rog port and an ammonia terminal. In Kyiv, it is believed that the Russian dam in the Kerch Strait is being built in order to restrain the sea current, as well as break waves that reach a height of 6.5 meters during a storm. That is, thanks to the dam, a lagoon is artificially created where ships can safely enter to transport ammonia, as well as petrochemical products.
“The note is being prepared. Whether it will be sent to the Russian Foreign Ministry or not depends on the ongoing negotiations in Kyiv between the deputy foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia,” the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry told a Vremya Novostei newspaper correspondent. Ukraine considers the construction of a Russian ammonia terminal near the village of Volna on Taman environmentally hazardous. Work there was progressing barely, but it intensified with the start of construction of a dam in the Kerch Strait. According to Ukrainian media, in addition to Togliattiazot, the project is supported by Rosneft, Neftegaz JSC, Russkiy Mir holding and offshore Royal Vopack.
So far, Togliattiazot, like a number of other Russian companies, exports products through the Ukrainian port of Ilyichevsk. But Russian companies want to build a transshipment complex within the country, since transit through Ukraine is expensive. Raw materials from Tolyatti to the new ammonia processing plant will be delivered not through underground pipelines, but in railway tanks. Ukrainians fear that in the event of an accident, the radius of the fatal damage zone will be 1.4 kilometers and will cover the territory of Ukraine. Seismic activity may contribute to the accident. There are 70 mud volcanoes in Taman, and the ammonia pipeline runs along the slope of Karabetovaya Mountain, where the most powerful of them is located. Svetlana STEPANENKO, Kyiv |
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