Group DF Press Statement on the Cease of Ostchem Plants

Group DF announces the cease of OSTCHEM plants – Azot PJSC (Cherkasy) and Rivne Azot PJSC – due to systematic and unexampled pressure by People’s Front members and their representatives holding government posts on OSTCHEM Holding, Group DF’s fertilizer business.

Group DF’s businesses are forced to operate under conditions of both military conflict in Donbass and a large-scale political attack against the Group and its owner. At first in May, 2014, we were compelled to cease two plants – Concern Stirol and Severodonetsk Azot Association – for reasons of safety in the area if an anti-terrorist operation. After that we did our best to fully load two other fertilizer plants – Cherkasy Azot and Rivne Azot – to completely provide Ukrainian agricultural sector with mineral fertilizer.

However, further deliberate fabrication of a range of criminal cases against OSTCHEM executive officers and against plants as well as absolutely unlawful arrest of the gas (a core raw material) disabled these plants from operating. In this regard Cherkasy Azot and Rivne Azot are stopped. The autumn sowing season is under the risk of failure and many thousands of Ukrainians may lose their jobs.

Continuing cynical attacks by interested People’s Front members who hold the leading positions in the government are aimed to destroy the business and jobs and harm the whole industries of the Ukrainian economy.

We consider current statements by Minister of Internal Affairs regarding Group DF’s owner about the investigation of the fabricated case against OSTCHEM executive officers by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to be a political persecution and another form of pressure on the business and the justice.