A note hidden in some wood in Irkutsk says there’s a local lumber mill using slave labor

Federal investigators in Irkutsk are reviewing claims that a local lumber mill uses slave labor. According to media reports, a man discovered a note begging for help, concealed within construction materials purchased from the lumber mill in question, and went to the police.

The note, which was published on the website of TV channel 360, reads: “Help! We are being held with no water and [our] passports [have been confiscated]. There are many of us. Albek.”

The lumber bearing this message is believed to have come from the Bratsk-based company “Iceberg-Siberia,” whose representatives have refused to comment to the press. Investigators say they will interrogate the company’s management and staff to determine if the claims of slave labor are true.