Russia seizes 15 military factories in defence capability clampdown
Russian Federation Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov announced the takeover of 15 military factories from owners who "destroyed the country's defense capabilities". Their value is estimated at about 355 million pounds, or approximately 2.99 billion pounds.
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During the last year and the first months of this year, the Russian General Prosecutor's Office nationalized 15 strategic military-industrial complex enterprises by court decision, whose total value exceeds 3.57 billion pounds - announced Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov.
Taking over privatized companies
According to him, these enterprises were "illegally privatized", and in some cases fell into the hands of residents of "unfriendly" countries, who "conducted a consistent policy of "destroying the country's defense capability."
The main complaints are the lack of production modernization and the transfer of profits abroad.
Krasnov emphasized that government authorities, including former governors and security officers, assisted in the privatization of these enterprises. He added that representatives of the prosecutor's office monitor the continuity of technological processes and respect for the rights of enterprise employees. - This is not even a subject of discussion - he stressed.
"Important moment"
The day before, on 25 March, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin informed that the General Prosecutor's Office is working on returning a number of large enterprises and property complexes to state ownership.
According to him, this is an "important moment" in the work of prosecutors, aimed at "protecting the social and economic rights of citizens", as well as "protecting the interests of the state and society."
Nationalizing business property "is justified in situations where the property was acquired by circumventing, violating the law, and moreover, was used to the detriment of the state" - Putin emphasized.
Already nationalized 180 companies
As calculated by "Novaya Gazeta Europe" and Transparency International, Russia, in just two years of war in Ukraine nationalized over 180 private enterprises. The total assets of these companies amounted to about 11.13 billion pounds, or about 0.6 percent of Russia's GDP (over 0.92 billion pounds).
The state's goal was mainly enterprises producing military resources, as well as assets of emigrated businessmen. The most frequently nationalized enterprises were those of the military-industrial complex and the machinery, food, and fishing industries, as well as ports and real estate.
