On July 19, the Verkhovna Rada accepted the compulsory alienation of the property of the Novokramatorsk Machine Building Factory in Kramatorsk in favor of the Ukrainian state. The adoption of resolution No. 7566 was supported by 316 people's deputies.

The explanatory note states that PJSC "NKMZ" is the largest heavy engineering enterprise in Europe, focused on the manufacture of unique machines and equipment. We will add that it is of strategic importance for the Ukrainian nuclear power industry. So, almost 20 years ago, it was considered as a site for the production of reactor vessels for a possible Ukrainian nuclear power plant design. In addition, it is a manufacturer of parts for the seal of the reactor main joint, piping elements for nuclear power plants, generator shafts and large electric motors, in particular for Turboatom (now Ukrainian Energy Machines).

In nuclear generation, NKMZ mostly collaborated with Rosatom and other Russian enterprises. It supplied large diameter steel pipes for the Rosatom project in Turkey - the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. And in 2017, despite the sanctions against Russia, NKMZ became a key partner of Ruselprom.

On February 27, the NKMZ management decided to mothball the enterprise.

The explanatory note to the decree on nationalization says that there is a threat of loss of production capacity of PJSC "Novokramatorsk Machine Building Factory" due to its possible capture by Russian invaders. “The equipment of PJSC NKMZ can be involved in the cooperation of enterprises of the military-industrial complex in the production of large-caliber shells, components of artillery weapons (barrels) and domestic artillery weapons systems, in particular, to close the urgent need for artillery as soon as possible. In this regard, it is very important to prevent the seizure of equipment by the enemy and to preserve and use it for the benefit of Ukraine,” the authors of the resolution write.

The purpose of adopting this document is to meet the urgent needs of the state in the security and defense sector, namely the military-industrial complex, to implement measures to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the state from Russia's armed aggression.

According to the owner and president of the factory, Georgy Skudar, the factory has about 500 units of machine tools, a lot of other equipment, and he still does not know what exactly is needed, what and how it will be used. He is also not sure that the exported equipment can be quickly set up and will give the same accuracy and productivity in the manufacture of parts.

It should be noted that another important enterprise for the nuclear power industry operates in Kramatorsk, which is also owned by Rosatom. This is EnergoMashSpetsStal (EMSS), a manufacturer of special cast and forged products of individual and small-scale production for metallurgy, shipbuilding, energy and general engineering. The enterprise produces parts for export contracts of Rosatom - blanks for reactor equipment of the Turkish Akkuyu NPP, the Indian Kudankulam NPP, and the Chinese Tianwan NPP. They also produced blanks for the equipment of the main circulation pump unit and steam generator. In mid-February this year, the company shipped parts for the pipelines of the Indian nuclear power plant Kudankulam.

Since the beginning of the war, it has been systematically fired upon by Russian troops, but because of the Russian owner, the company cannot make a decision to remove the equipment. Thus, the missile attack on May 5 almost completely destroyed the production equipment of the forging and pressing shop, and damaged automated forging complexes with a force of 3150 t.s. and a force of 15000 t.s., a pumping and storage station AKK6000 t.s. Also, one of the most important production shops of the enterprise - electric steel-smelting, received significant damage.

Of course, EMSS is a unique enterprise for the Ukrainian nuclear industry. In March of this year, the NAPC named it in the list of 21 companies for which nationalization is possible. And on March 10, President Zelensky signed the Law “On the Basic Principles for the Compulsory Seizure in Ukraine of Objects of Property Rights of the Russian Federation and Its Residents.” The law provides that the forced seizure in Ukraine of objects of Russian property and its residents is carried out without any compensation (reimbursement) of their value, given the full-scale aggressive war that Russia has unleashed and is waging against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. And in May, Zelensky also signed the Law on Confiscation of Assets as of Support of Russian Aggression. The law provided for new sanctions through the recovery in favor of the state of the assets of an individual or legal entity and the criteria by which persons are subject to such sanctions. The Ministry of Justice will be responsible for searching for assets and going to court for foreclosure, and the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court will deal with cases of such sanctions.

Of course, evidence that Rosatom supports Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a dime a dozen. It is enough to read the news from Zaporozhzhya NPP. Which, moreover, are relayed here and there in the official reports of the IAEA. But there is still no information about the nationalization of EMSS.

In the meantime, throughout July, Russian occupiers have been hitting Kramatorsk with multiple launch rocket system. They destroy civilian infrastructure and fire at the civilian population. On Monday, July 18, Russian troops again hit the industrial zone of Kramatorsk.

 Olga Sokolova, InfoAtom