MOSCOW (RAPSI) - A criminal case against Gennady Tikhonov, an executive of the Baikal pulp and paper mill charged with polluting the Baikal Lake, has commenced.

According to investigators, in 2013 Tikhonov ordered the discharge of 4,000 cubic meters of chemicals and industrial waste into the lake.

Additionally, in October 2013, a pipeline transporting toxic liquid was allegedly damaged, causing significant damage to the regional environment and health safety.

Tikhonov faces two years in prison.

In 2013, the Baikal pulp and paper mill was closed down by Russian authorities because of the damage it caused to the Lake Baikal ecology.