The Russian authorities, instead of restoring the industrial potential of occupied Mariupol, began dismantling enterprises for scrap metal. The Azovmash machine-building plant, once one of the giants of the industry, is among the objects that were robbed. About this reported Mariupol City Council.
The city council reminded that as early as 2022, the Russian side promised to restore the enterprise, create an industrial park, and start production with the participation of the state corporation Rostec already in 2024. In fact, as the city council emphasizes, “zero real jobs.”
“What’s more, over the years they never managed to determine the status of the enterprise – whether it belongs to the so-called ‘DNR’ or to federal property. Without this, any investment plans hang in the air. And while the issue is pending, the plant’s metal is actively dispersed among its ‘bandits’.” – told the city council.
Even pro-Russian publics recognize the catastrophic state of the enterprise, noting that “Azovmash” was either completely destroyed by hostilities, or is so morally outdated that it is no longer of interest to potential investors.
The same sources state:
“The so-called authorities of the DPR are pulling the blanket over themselves, bargaining with Moscow to keep Azovmash under their jurisdiction, having their own interests in its further looting.”
In general, according to the city council, during the blockade and occupation of Mariupol, three main factories of the city were destroyed. During the three years of Russian occupation, no real steps have been taken to restore them.
“The city was given over to contractors who build houses under mortgage for Russians. And the industry is just being robbed, turning everything into a pile of scrap metal instead of the promised revival.” – added in the city council.
