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Russia demands to immediately release Uralkali CEO

Baumgertner was detained in Minsk on August 26 and taken into custody

Yuri Ushakov, Photo ITAR-TASS/Vladimir Astapkovich

Yuri Ushakov, Photo ITAR-TASS/Vladimir Astapkovich

MOSCOW, August 30 (Itar-Tass) - The Kremlin hopes the Belarusian authorities will release shortly Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner, detained in Minsk.

“Russia hopes it would be done without delay,” Russia's Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Friday.

He called on reporters not to search for any political backgrounds. “This would not be in the interests of Russia and Belarus,” he said.

Ushakov added the conflict between Uralkali and Beloruskali was a commercial dispute.

Uralkali’s Director General Vladislav Baumgertner was detained in Minsk on August 26, and later he was arrested under the investigation into several criminal cases, which Belarus’ Prosecutor General’s Office had opened. The Belarusian Investigative Committee claimed the conflict of interest had affected the republic’s state and public interests, as well as damaged Belaruskali and the Belarusian Potassium Company.

Uralkali is a Russian potash manufacturer.

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