Crimea gas station chain employees appeal to Putin to save company; owner in pretrial detention on embezzlement charges

Employees of the TEC gas station chain in Crimea have recorded an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to save the company, according to the outlet Krym.Realii.

The owner of the chain, Sergei Beim, has supported Russia's annexation of the peninsula since 2014. He is currently in a pretrial detention center (SIZO) on charges of embezzling budget funds related to fuel supplies.

According to investigators, the businessman leased the rail ferry "Konro Trader" to a Russian state-owned company. The vessel had already been damaged as a result of a Ukrainian missile strike.