Kim announced the transfer of special vehicles to MGZ to combat sludge dust

Head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Vitaliy Kim acknowledged that dust from the tailings storage facilities of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant harms people, and the regional authorities are already preparing their proposals to solve the problem. He said this in an interview with Ukrinform, published on 18 March 2026, when answering a question about the overfilled tailings fields of the MGZ and the possibility of influencing the State Property Fund.

The journalist’s question itself was about the fact that the issue of the tailings fields has become topical again because they pose serious environmental risks to the region. In response, Vitaliy Kim confirmed: the situation in the region is understood and they do not intend to pretend the threat does not exist.

On the situation with the tailings fields, Vitaliy Kim spoke while answering a question about the environmental threat to the Mykolaiv region and the role of the State Property Fund in this story.

“Yes, we are working on it, forming our proposals. Although the responsible authority is the State Property Fund, we understand the problems of this plant because it is on our territory and the dust from the tailings storage facilities harms local residents — we all breathe it. Therefore, the issue of transferring special vehicles to the MGZ that are to service these fields to prevent the spread of dust is being resolved.”

Separately in the same interview, Kim also commented on the possible sale of the enterprise during the war. Asked whether this is realistic now, he replied that if he were an investor he would buy the plant right now because “it’s cheaper.” He also added that, in his opinion, there is no valuation yet, since the MGZ is a unique enterprise and effectively an intermediate link in a large production chain.

The issue of the MGZ tailings fields for Mykolaiv is not new. As early as 12 February 2026 the head of the permanent commission on environmental issues of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, Alla Ryazhskykh, stated that 48 million tonnes of red mud are stored on the tailings fields near the city, and the plant may be running out of funds to service these facilities. She also drew attention to the risks related to power supply, since without the continuous operation of pumping stations the fields can dry out and dust can be released into the air.

Earlier still, on 27 December 2025, a publication by korabelov.info, citing the leadership of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, reported that the irrigation system of the tailings fields is seriously damaged and the enterprise lacks funds to fully contain the environmental danger. At that time the warning was explicit: without large investments the “environmental bomb” could explode at any moment.

Meanwhile, the state is already preparing the MGZ for privatization. According to korabelov.info, on 11 February 2026 the head of the State Property Fund, Dmytro Natalukha, stated that the plant is planned to be put up for sale by July, and on 17 February 2026 the Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko confirmed that the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant is included in the priority list of state assets to be sold in the near future. Thus, the region simultaneously faces both an old environmental problem and a new major uncertainty — who will get the plant and whether the tailings fields will again be left alone with the people.

Earlier we wrote:

• Environmental bomb near Mykolaiv – no money, but the MGZ director declared almost 14 million in salary
• The State Property Fund is looking for a buyer for the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant who is not afraid of the war
• While the MGZ tailings fields are without water and without funds, Vitaliy Kim talks about the plant’s future
• An environmental “time bomb” of delayed action: what are the prospects for the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant after nationalization
• The environmental situation at the MGZ is difficult; MGZ workers manually maintain the tailings storage facilities