We start with Saint Petersburg company \u00abMDK\u00bb. 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 <\/strong>here<\/strong><\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u00abtemporary management\u00bb as an innovative approach towards \u00abrenewal of production\u00bb. According to statistics of the Russian occupation authorities, over 200 out of 300 working enterprises have been transferred to the \u00abtemporary administrations\u00bb.<\/p>\n Ukrainian state traitor and Russian \u00abgovernor\u00bb 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<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n For the fifth year in a row, the Russian propaganda has persuaded residents of occupied Ukrainian territories about \u00abeconomic miracle\u00bb of occupied Zaporizhzhia, leader of import substitution in Russia and promised to create 30 thousand working places.<\/p>\n The reality is completely different: the decline of expropriated plants and agricultural farms, growth of wage indebtedness and unemployment. Debts of Putin\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n More to that, some enterprises in Azov region started paying salaries by \u2026 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.<\/p>\n Stats on the number of expropriated Ukrainian enterprises by Russian occupation government of Zaporizhzhia oblast, 2023. Photo: screenshot of Russian propagandist video<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n After occupation of territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, Russian occupants set up and promoted state owned company \u00abState Grain Operator\u00bb. It united expropriated assets of hundreds of large and small agricultural companies and \u00abexported\u00bb stolen Ukrainian grain. What happened to this \u00aboperator\u00bb? It went bankrupt. It owes billions of Rubles to agricultural farms on occupied territories of both oblasts.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/investigator.org.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/evgen_balyckyi-yuriy_guskov.jpg\")
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