Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
The administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been accused of signing an agreement with Alexander Soros, son of billionaire George Soros, allowing the disposal of toxic chemical waste in the fertile farmlands of western Ukraine.
On November 7, Soros met with Andriy Yermak, the Chief of Staff to Zelensky. Yermak is a former entertainment lawyer and film producer who followed Zelensky from his days of being a TV star who comically played a Ukrainian president.
Yermak's wheeling and dealing has faced him with allegations of corruption involving himself, his brother and his deputy.
In March 2020, a month after Yermak became chief of staff, video tapes surfaced in which Yermak's brother, Denys, now a soldier, is offering influence peddling to obtain government jobs.
Yermak travels internationally and signs deals in the name of Ukraine, which experts point out is above his job title. This is intended to shield Zelensky from the dirty business of shady deals which Yermak can conduct on his behalf.
While western countries have sent more than $140 billion in support of Ukraine, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, an opposition lawmaker, warns the donors that Ukraine is still as corrupt as ever.
"Now, they are stealing our money," Zheleznyak said of officials who tolerated graft. "In the future, they could steal your money."
Zelensky fired more than a dozen senior officials in January on corruption charges, and on August 11, he fired all the regional heads of military recruitment centers, after an audit revealed corruption by officials.
Both the International Monetary Fund and the European Union have released reports urging Ukraine to stop the widespread and pervasive culture of corruption.
Jules Vincent is a French investigative journalist and environmental activist. A member of the Ukrainian Ministry of the environment contacted Vincent with the allegations and details while requesting anonymity.
Perfluorooctanoic acid is one of the chemicals to be dumped in Ukraine. It is a cancer risk, and disrupts the hormonal system in humans. Additionally, they intend to dump a chemical compound of PVC, a known cancer causing substance which destroys the endocrine system in humans. Leaving these chemicals in the fertile farm lands of western Ukraine would pose a threat to Ukrainian wheat which is exported globally, and if those crops were threatened by toxic chemicals leeching in to the soil, a global famine could be a result.
Europe has been shipping huge amounts of toxic waste to developing countries. Seattle-based Basel Action Network found in a two-year investigation that illegal shipments went to Africa, South East Asia, and Ukraine. While a number of European countries were found to be in violation, it was the UK who ranked the highest.
According to a listing of the annual generation of hazardous waste, the US is ranked second globally.
Landfill dumping of hazardous waste is one of many ways to deal with waste disposal. In a method called "Landfarming", wastes are blended with the surface soil and other substances may be added to enhance the treatment. This is likely the plan for Ukraine which Yermak has agreed to.
Alexander Soros is an American businessman and philanthropist, and Chairman of the Open Society Foundation.
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