Inscriptions on labels are in Russian language. The address of the factory refers to Zaporizhzhia region but does not indicate the country. The sausages were produced in May 2023. The barcode starts with \u00ab290\u00bb numbers and it means that these sausages may not be openly sold! Barcodes from \u00ab290\u00bb to \u00ab299\u00bb mark products only for internal consumption by the producing factory.<\/span><\/p>\n Sausages of Berdyansk meat factory in Simferopol supermarket. Photo: investigator.org.ua<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n We found and analyzed products of Berdyansk meat factory in another Simferopol shop. Front side of the label tells us that it has been printed before the Russian occupation of Berdyansk. Back side of the label is the label in Russian imposed on Ukrainian original. These sausages were produced in May 2023. Back side of the label should contain information about date of production, producing company, address of production facilities and barcode of the country where the product was produced.<\/span><\/p>\n Sausages of Berdyansk meat factory from Simferopol shop. Photo: investigator.org.ua<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n In this case, we see the following barcode: 4?20165401186. It is difficult to discern the second digit. As it is known, first 2-3 digits of the barcode indicate the country where the product was produced. It is kind of \u00abbarcode flag\u00bb of the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In our case, Russia is not indicated as the country of origin. Though, Russia treats Berdyansk as the Russian city. In accordance with European standard adopted by Russia, first three digits of Russian barcode should be <\/span>within the range 460-469<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n What we see on the label is barcode 4820165401186 where 482 is the official code of Ukraine!<\/span><\/p>\n If we compare \u00abUkrainian\u00bb and \u00abRussian\u00bb labels of Berdyansk sausages, we can easily uncover that they are almost identical. The only difference is the second digit, which can be hardly read. However, it is likely to be digit \u00ab8\u00bb. We can assume that such a mistake was not made by chance. It is likely to be made \u00abfor purpose\u00bb.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00abRussian\u00bb label on the \u00abUkrainian\u00bb label of sausage produced by Berdyansk meat factory and sold in Simferopol shop. Photo: investigator.org.ua<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n The Russian mass media reported in June 2022 that Berdyansk meat factory supplied its products to all \u00abliberated Ukrainian territories\u00bb and entered the market of southern regions of the Russian Federation. Russian propagandists called Berdyansk meat factory an \u00abexample of transferring Ukrainian enterprises under Russian jurisdiction\u00bb. They pretended that the work of the factory has not stopped and employees received salary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New \u00abmanagers\u00bb of Berdyansk meat factory, <\/span>Gennadii Babayan<\/b> and <\/span>Sergii Putria<\/b>, have collaborated with occupants since first days of the Russian occupation. Their activity has been <\/span>investigated<\/span><\/a> by the Center for Journalist Investigations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine, head of Berdyansk wrestling federation Gennadii Babayan seized Berdyansk meat factory. Before the Russian invasion, Sergii Putria has been elected several times as member of Berdyansk City Council and member of Zaporizhzhia region council from pro-Russian political party \u00abOpposition Block\u00bb. After Russian invasion, Putria became the deputy of Babayan and has been personally \u00abblessed\u00bb by Russian \u00abgovernor\u00bb of Zaporizhzhia region Yevhen Balytsky.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Together with Berdyansk sausages, products of <\/span>Melitopol meat factory<\/b> are also sold in Simferopol shops. They were produced recently, in May 2023. As the seller told, people like to buy Melitopol sausages. Crimean buyers do not care about inscriptions in Ukrainian language on the label and Ukrainian address of the production facilities \u2013 Heroes of Ukraine street, 175. It should be noted that Russian occupants replaced this name of the street with the Soviet one (Kirov street \u2013 honoring the accomplice of Josef Stalin) in April 2023. They renamed over 50 streets of Melitopol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sausage of Melitopol meat factory in the Simferopol shop. Photo: investigator.org.ua<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n JSC \u00abMelitopol meat factory\u00bb<\/span><\/a> is one of the largest meat manufacturers of Ukraine. Before the Russian occupation, the factory had large statutory capital (almost 160 million UAH). There were nine large shareholders \u2013 legal entities, with almost identical set of final beneficiaries with large land banks. The holding also covered JSC \u00abAgroindustrial complex\u00bb (pork and poultry), \u00abNesteryanska ptakhofabryka\u00bb (poultry), networks of retailers \u00abMMK\u00bb and \u00abTrading House \u00abVakula\u00bb, transport company \u00abMelavtotrans\u00bb etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Melitopol meat factory has been confiscated like many other Ukrainian factories on occupied territories. In May 2022, \u00abKadyrov people\u00bb came to the factory, as reported former employees of the factory. Later the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reported that Russian occupation authorities turned the factory into the morgue. Bodies of Russian soldiers, killed near cities of Polohy and Gulaipole, were brought to the factory and stored in its refrigerators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In November 2022, Russian occupants registered JSC \u00abMelitopolski myasokombinat\u00bb (MMK) in the Russian State Register of Legal Entities. Its founders and shareholders are not disclosed. Its legal address coincides with legal address of the Ukrainian factory (Kirov street, 175). <\/span>Chaniev Alim Serverovych<\/b> has been indicated as \u00abmanager\u00bb of the \u00abRussian factory\u00bb since its registration in the Russian register.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Collaborator Alim Chaniev, photo: screenshot from YouTube video<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n The Ukrainian State Register of Legal Entities <\/span>contains<\/span><\/a> data about person with this name as the owner of two Ukrainian LLC \u00abZilber\u00bb and \u00abImperia transportu\u00bb [Empire of transport]. The last company has the same legal address as \u00abMelitopol meat factory\u00bb. It seems that, before the Russian occupation, Chaniev has been involved into transportation of grain by trucks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In February 2023, Russian \u00abmilitary civic administration\u00bb of Zaporizhzhia region declared the property of \u00abMelitopol meat factory\u00bb as abandoned or unowned. Then, LLC \u00abMelitopolskii myasokombinat\u00bb has been registered in the Russian State Register at the same legal address. <\/span>Gorbunov Yaroslav Yuriyovich<\/b> has been indicated as the director and founder of this Russian company with the statutory capital of 10 thousand Rubles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Information about this person is scarce. He obtained Russian taxpayer\u2019s code in Rostov region of Russia. In 2020, entrepreneur Gorbunov Yaroslav Yuriyovich has been mentioned in the schedule of anti-fire inspections of the so-called \u00abDNR\u00bb. His car repairing shop has been located in Donetsk at Kuprina street, 119b. In November 2022, he has been appointed as the director of state enterprise of \u00abDNR\u00bb called \u00abATP Soveta ministrov\u00bb [transport company of the Council of Ministries].\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/investigator.org.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/berdyanska_kovbasa_krym.png\")
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