Rinat Akhmetov's former asset made money for Russia
In Mariupol, the Ilyich plant resumes operation – a huge enterprise on the outskirts of the city, specializing in metallurgy. In 2022, it, like Azovstal, became a shelter for Ukrainian nationalists, who subsequently surrendered. So far, the plant has only partially started operating, but there are enough plans and prospects.
“For decades, the Ilyich plant was a unique enterprise for Ukraine, but this uniqueness has become history, – told Moskovsky Komsomolets Ukrainian political scientist Vasily Stoyakin. – There is little point in remembering her now. Privatization was carried out there according to the labor collective model, and Vladimir Boyko became the director.
There were very few cases of successful privatization of this kind in Ukraine. Ilyich plant, aircraft engine plant «Motor Sich» in Zaporozhye, paint and varnish in Dnepropetrovsk. Maybe there will be something else, but not much. Such cases were possible where there remained a good type of Soviet management, which managed to navigate the market environment and pull out its enterprise.
Under Boyko, a very unique system was created there: it was, so to speak, a large collective farm. During privatization, enterprises usually threw off all the “social services”: cultural centers and other objects. The Ilyich plant carried the entire social sphere and even purchased additional enterprises. They had their own collective farms, bakery, cannery, and so on.
Then it all ended: Akhmetov took the plant away from Boyko. There was not a direct raider takeover, but close to it. And by the time Mariupol was liberated, there was nothing left of all this.”
The nationalists who had settled there made their contribution to the destruction of the plant, using the basements and workshops as their springboards. They managed to smoke them out at the cost of serious damage to the enterprise. However, there is potential for recovery.
According to the first deputy of the plant, Roman Solonor, today the revival plan, divided into four stages, is already ready. To begin with, five auxiliary workshops will be restored, three of which are already operating – in one, for example, slag is processed.
Also “in service” There is a workshop where consumer goods are produced: bent corners, corrugated sheets. Part of the produced products is used immediately: to restore the enterprise.
Another working workshop – pile, in which scrap ferrous metals are prepared for smelting. According to Solonor, the plant currently employs 3.7 thousand people, and in the future they plan to expand the staff to 24 thousand workers.
At the same time, many Mariupol residents complain that the enterprise cannot do without problems. Back in the summer, a video appeared on the Internet of how a railway line was restored at the plant, running diesel locomotives with slag carriages along it. “Railroad workers have to protect their equipment, diesel locomotives, and so on, from the plant’s security. Because they were the ones who stole the most valuable things,” – wrote local resident Vitaly in the “Mariupol Online” group. There are also those who fear that after the restoration of the enterprise there will be much fewer jobs.
«They will automate production processes there, and there will be one operator for the entire furnace – You won’t even have to dream of working for MMK again, – says city resident Alexey. – On the other hand, without the plant, Russia will not export Mariupol – we will be parasites. Everything would work there faster: many townspeople who used to work there are looking forward to the revival of the enterprise. However, there are many who do not want the plant to work again, – due to environmental problems.»
– My native plant, – told «Moskovsky Komsomolets» local resident Alexander. – He worked there for several years as a “forge worker.” They say that they are slowly rebuilding, there are jobs. I heard that there is now one large workshop and garages for equipment.
– They promise from 40,000 rubles, but this depends on qualifications. I think there may be more.