An criminal case has been initiated in the Nizhny Novgorod region regarding environmental protection violations.

      The investigator of the First Department for the Investigation of Especially Important Cases of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod Region has initiated a criminal case under Article 246 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violation of environmental protection rules during operations). According to the investigation, between March 2024 and June 2025, the CEO of a sugar manufacturing plant located in the city of Sergach, Nizhny Novgorod Region, violated environmental protection regulations and organized the removal of industrial waste to an agricultural land plot, which led to the covering of the fertile soil layer and land degradation. The unlawful actions of the defendant were identified and stopped by investigators of the Investigative Committee of Russia in cooperation with prosecutor's offices and operational officers of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod Region. Currently, investigators of the Investigative Committee of Russia are conducting a series of investigative actions aimed at establishing all circumstances of the incident.