The Center for Journalist Investigations launches the new series of investigative stories about Russian war crimes on occupied territories of Ukraine. We will uncover what happened with the largest Ukrainian industrial and agricultural companies, stolen by Russia, after four years of the Russian occupation of Southern Ukraine.
We start with Saint Petersburg company «MDK». It accumulated assets of four large plants of temporarily occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia oblast. One of them is Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant. Before Russian occupation and expropriation, it has been leading foundry of Southern Ukraine. Russian occupants put it on the edge of bankruptcy (watch video version of the story here).
The fate of Ukrainian industrial and agricultural enterprises expropriated by Russia is similar: they were taken from their legitimate owners by force; then, Russian occupants introduced temporary management. Ultimately, they were sold or transferred under the management to Russians or top-collaborators. New owners and managers stole and sold ready products, cut or took away equipment, generated debts and did not pay salaries to their employees.
In 2023, Russian citizen Yurii Guskov, senior manager in Russian occupation government of Zaporizhzhia oblast (he has been Deputy Head of the government and the Minister of Economy and Industry supervising expropriation of Ukrainian enterprises), called expropriation and consequent introduction of «temporary management» as an innovative approach towards «renewal of production». According to statistics of the Russian occupation authorities, over 200 out of 300 working enterprises have been transferred to the «temporary administrations».
Ukrainian state traitor and Russian «governor» of occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia oblast Yevhenii Balytsky and Russian citizensYurii Guskov who managed expropriation of Ukrainian enterprises in Russian occupation government. Photo: social media
For the fifth year in a row, the Russian propaganda has persuaded residents of occupied Ukrainian territories about «economic miracle» of occupied Zaporizhzhia, leader of import substitution in Russia and promised to create 30 thousand working places.
The reality is completely different: the decline of expropriated plants and agricultural farms, growth of wage indebtedness and unemployment. Debts of Putin’s hucksters, who seized Ukrainian enterprises, reach dozens of billions Rubles. People have not received their salaries for months, even after the order of occupation authorities to pay wage arrears.
More to that, some enterprises in Azov region started paying salaries by … barter! For example, employees of Berdyansk plant were given sidewalk paving stone instead of salaries. This is what happened in Ukraine in 1990-s, after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Stats on the number of expropriated Ukrainian enterprises by Russian occupation government of Zaporizhzhia oblast, 2023. Photo: screenshot of Russian propagandist video
Here is the paradox: the largest debtors in occupied Zaporizhzhia are formerly very profitable enterprises stolen by Russian from legitimate Ukrainian and foreign owners. These enterprises include Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant, Zaporizhzhia Iron Ore Plant and Berdyansk Sea Trade Port.
After occupation of territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, Russian occupants set up and promoted state owned company «State Grain Operator». It united expropriated assets of hundreds of large and small agricultural companies and «exported» stolen Ukrainian grain. What happened to this «operator»? It went bankrupt. It owes billions of Rubles to agricultural farms on occupied territories of both oblasts.
You can see the video from the shop of the Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant covered by the snow. It was shot by plant employee in February 2026. The shop does not have a roof; ready products are covered by the snow whereas employees heat themselves near the fire.
«There is no money since the New Year. Here is the warehouse of ready products. You can see white snow in the shop because there is not roof. Director of the plant complain that manufactured auto details are not sold. You can see them here, they are rusty. And managers complain that they are not able to sell them. It is understandable – why», as says emotionally an employee.
Before the Russian occupation, Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant has been among the largest foundries in Southern Ukraine. It produced spare parts for cars, tractors, combine harvesters and other agricultural machines and equipment. Its products were supplied to Ukrainian machine factories and to foreign markets in America, Poland, Germany, Finland, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia.
According to legitimate owner of plant Anatolii Kuzmin, spare parts and casting composed 80% of its products. Since 2017, the plant started making orders from «Ukroboronprom», the Ukrainian military industrial giant. The plant manufactured details for mortars (from 60 to 120 caliber) and anti-aircraft gun ZU-23. It has also repaired parts of other military equipment.
Anatolii Kuzmin, co-owner of Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant. Photo: investigator.org.ua
Traitor and Russian «governor» of occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast Yevhenii Balytsky directly managed the seizure and the looting of its products. He was supported by so-called «militia of DNR» and illegal para-military squads. Owners of the plant tried to hide products but failed. Traitors among security guards showed Russian occupants the place where 120 thousand spare parts were stored.
But now skilled workers and employees, who agreed to work for the occupants and manufacture, inter alia, products upon orders of the Russian Armed Forces, complain about bad working conditions and wage arrears. Russian prosecutors ordered Russian owners to pay them but dozens of millions of Rubles have been still unpaid. Employees resign whereas products, manufactured on stolen equipment, rust under snow and rain.
What happened with once successful enterprise? As its legitimate owner told us, immediately after Russian occupations, there were new machine tools, worth a quarter of million Euros each, in shops whereas the value of products in warehouses reached 5 million Euro.
How Russians killed successful Ukrainian enterprise?
During first years of occupation, Russian occupations authorities and Saint Petersburg hucksters, who bought expropriated plant, have repeatedly claimed that the plant has been the leader in its sphere and that it had new export contracts in three countries, not to mention clients in Russia like «Rostselmash» and KAMAZ. As Russian «governor» Yevhenii Balytsky announced, the plant renewed production of mortars, upon orders of the Russian Ministry of Defense. So, how and who made the plant bankrupt?
After the Russian seizure of the plant, Russian legal clone of the Ukrainian legal entity was registered in the Russian State Register of Legal Entities. Its founders were hidden. Only its new director Russian citizen Yurii Shadrin appeared in the Russian propagandist media. He had no experience in the machine building. As the Center for Journalist Investigations revealed, the company headed by Shadrin turned out to be fake. It did submit any financial reports and was liquidated in February 2026.
In order to hide stolen Ukrainian assets from international sanctions, Russian occupants have widely used the following scheme – they hid them as branches of Russian companies, without creating separate legal entities. For example, if you search for Melitopol plant «Hydrosyla» in the Russian Register of Legal Entities, you will find nothing because there is no legal entity with such name. But we succeeded. Russian company «MDK», registered in Vsevolzhsk in Leningrad oblast, has three separate branches, without status of legal entity.
They include Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant, two Melitopol factories of Ukrainian Group of companies «Hydrosyla» from Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytsky and separate branch called «Lyteischik». The latter is about production facilities of Ukrainian Tavriiska foundry company «TALKO» located in Novovasylivka.
Since October 2022, resident of Saint Petersburg has been the founder of Russian LLC «MDK». Further changes in the ownership of «MDK» were likely motivated by the need to legalize stolen Ukrainian assets in the Russian jurisdiction.
After seizure of four successful Ukrainian plants, Russian company «MDK» was expected to flourish. Its director Svetlana Afanasjeva announced: «The potential of our enterprise is immense. We will make real breakthrough in the import substitution. We can propose full cycle in the hydraulic equipment. We will make full import substitution of all hydraulic systems within five years».
Svetlana Afanasieva, director of Russian LLC «MDK» which encompassed four illegally expropriated Ukrainian plants. Photo: screenshot of the video of Russian occupation channel
She made these statements in 2024. In one year, she and founder Vasiljev disappeared from «MDK». In August 2025, company «Alliance group», registered in occupied Berdyansk one month before, became new founder. Financial indicators of «MDK» fall down. The company demonstrated losses of 137 million Rubles in 2025. The amount of enforcement proceedings exceeded 300 million Rubles. Wage arrears grew in 2025. Employees entered 2026 without salaries and in cold shops without roofs.
After publication of video of snow-covered shop of Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant, Russian Investigative Committee launched criminal investigation about wage arrears at the plant. On June 10, 2026, upon the lawsuit of Saint Petersburg tax inspectors, the Arbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad oblast initiated the case about bankruptcy of LLC «MDK» and appointed arbitration administrator. As it turned out, the tax indebtedness of hucksters from Saint Petersburg reached almost half a billion Rubles.
How loss making company «MDK» will pay off debts, nearing one billion Rubles? It might sell production facilities, illegally expropriated after the Russian occupation. One of them – Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant – has been already transferred to another legal entity, though Russian State Register still indicates it as separate branch of «MDK».
The Russian Investigative Committee reported that since January 2026, Melitopol Plant has been transferred to LLC «Stupinostroi». Now it is called the branch of «Stupinstroi» in Melitopol. It is unknown how the transfer of this toxic asset happened. It is also unclear how the company will pay off debts and tax indebtedness.
Illegal «owner» of Melitopol Auto and Tractor Parts Plant is registered in this building of residential housing in Stupino, Moscow region. Photo: realty.ru
New owner of Melitopol plant is registered in Stupino, Moscow oblast. Its legal address is an apartment in residential housing.
City of Stupino is known far beyond Russia thanks to Stupino Metallurgical Company, manufacturing products from heat-resistant of nickel and titan alloys and special steels for avia, oil and atomic industries. However, there are no connections between «Stupinstroi» and this metallurgical plant or any other company in the city.
When Melitopol plant was transferred to «Stupinostroi», Moscow resident Artur Derevitsky has been indicated as its founder. In May 2026, he was replaced by Antonina Beloborodova, who has business in remote Russian city of Tynda in Amurska oblast. Both persons are not related in any way to foundry or machine building production. That is why, we think that these people are fake founders or directors. Indebted company with almost dead plant as its asset is waiting for the bankruptcy.
There is an interesting detail: LLC «Alliance group», founder of «MDK», has been owned by Alekseu Basov who has construction business in Archangelsk and region. «Arkticheskaya stroitelnaya kompania» [Arctic Construction Company], owned by him and his partner Dmitrii Safronov, has regularly received governmental contracts and has been the largest contractor of the Department of Capital Construction of Archangelsk oblast (the value of contracts – 9.5 billion Rubles).
In August-September 2025, this company founded LLC «Alliance group», «Alliance-stroi» and «Alliance-agro» in Berdyansk. Basov himself founded «Zaporizhzhia Machine Building Company». It is in addition to «MDK» and «Trade House MDK».
Irina Gekht, former head of Russian occupation government of Zaporizhzhia oblast, current governor of Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Archangelsk oblast of the Russian Federation. Photo: screenshot of video of Russian TV channel «Rossia 1»
We suppose that Irina Gekht, former head of Russian occupation government in Zaporizhzhia, has contributed to all these business deals. In 2025, she has been appointed as the Governor of Nenets Autonomous Okrug (it is part of Archangelsk oblast).
It does not seem to be coincidence that when Gekht was appointed to Archangelsk oblast, the business from this Russian region started entering Melitopol and Berdyansk in potentially profitable spheres like grain and construction. Archangelsk businessmen also acquired company with production facilities of four foundry and machine building plants. One of them has been already transferred to bankrupt company. The fate of other expropriated Ukrainian plants can be also easily foreseen…
Our next story from the cycle «Putin’s Hucksters» is about Zaporizhzhia Iron Ore Plant, heavily exploited by Ukrainian traitor Viktor Medvedchuk.
