Kondrashev's irrevocable "trolley"

While the main shareholder Petr Kondrashev is in conflict with the minority shareholders, 119 violations of industrial safety requirements are found at Lovozersky GOK. And the products themselves are successfully exported to NATO countries.

A few weeks ago, the Federal media reported that Mikhail Dvorkovich, the brother of former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, purchased 15 stocks of Solikamsk Magnesium Works.

Earlier, the Federal Antimonopoly Service initiated legal proceedings concerning the illegal change of the holding's shareholders to non-residents of Russia without the consent of the Government Commission on Foreign Investment. It was reported by The Moscow Post.

Solikamsk Magnesium Works is the only company engaged in the extraction and processing of rare earth metals, and the only producer of original magnesium in the country. The plant in Solikamsk is of inestimable importance for Russian high-tech industries, where the share of this raw material is constantly growing. This applies to both the production of civil products and the Military-Industrial Complex.

According to Dvorkovich, the company, thanks to the "efforts" of the billionaire Petr Kondrashev, has stuck in the XIX century, it is enough to get acquainted with the working conditions of the mining and processing plant in Revda.

A correspondent of The Moscow Post tried to study the situation.

Explosives in the public domain

Mikhail Dvorkovich believes that Petr Kondrashev reigns supreme at Solikamsk Magnesium Works today.

Dividends are not paid, salaries of ordinary employees do not grow, and taxes to the budget of the Perm region and the city of Solikamsk are tiny. All proposals of members of the Board of Directors representing the interests of minority shareholders aimed at the development of the company are ignored.

The entire stake, about 65% of the stocks, is controlled by structures close to Petr Kondrashev.

According to our own sources, the decision of Petr Kondrashev, as the controlling shareholder, without the consent of other shareholders, the products of the magnesium plant are directly sold to companies in the United States. These American companies produce high-tech equipment for the military-industrial complex of NATO countries.

Does that mean that theoretically, the raw materials produced by JSC Solikamsk Magnesium Works will be used in the manufacture of weapons that can be used against Russia?

Last year, Rostechnadzor employees found 119 violations of industrial safety requirements during the last scheduled inspection of the plant. The check took place from October 7 to November 8, 2019. This was informed by IA Nord News.

As a result, one legal entity and 11 officials of Lovozersky GOK were brought to administrative responsibility.

Rostechnadzor employees found 119 violations of industrial safety requirements at the mines of Lovozersky GOK

Meanwhile, as the miners say, on condition of anonymity, there is no normal lighting at the production site, and explosives are delivered in uncovered wagons.

As explained by the miners, if the electric locomotive trolley closes on the rails, a short circuit will last until something burns because all the protection is turned off.

Explosives must be transported in a covered wagon

Two years ago there was a case at the combine when explosives were carried, as usual, in an unsealed wagon. A fire started, and the explosives caught fire. Exploder after inhaling products of combustion, died in the mine.

However, for some reason, the planned inspection did not find all the violations in the work of Lovozersky GOK.

Going down into the mine is like a roulette wheel

Every going down into the mine for the workers of the Lovozersky mining and processing plant is like a roulette wheel – either you are lucky or not. Employees of the plant admitted to journalists that they fear for their lives and health because of safety violations at the enterprise.

Working at a mining and processing plant in the village of Revda in Lovozersky district is the only source of income for most families. That is, the miners themselves are afraid to contact the Prosecutor's office: there is simply no other work in the village!

Accidents at work are common: only in the past three years, several employees have climbed out of the mine with injuries - bruises, fractures, and there have been two accidents with a fatal outcome.

In both cases, the miners themselves were found guilty of failing to comply with safety regulations.

The miners in Revda work in very difficult conditions

And if there are injuries at a workplace, they try to persuade the miner to tell about this injury as a domestic one, and not a work-related one.

An egregious case at the Karnasurt industrial site is also remembered. That night, 360 miners were to go down into the mine. Before the start of the night shift, the miners had dinner in the canteen of the combine. There was an emergency: due to mass poisoning, more than 120 people were injured, 81 miners were in a hospital bed. It was reported by RIA Novosti.

Three of them were taken to intensive care. The regional Ministry of Health sent epidemiologists to the scene of the emergency.

As a result, a criminal case was opened on the fact of mass poisoning under part 1 of article 238 of the criminal code of the Russian Federation ("Production, storage, transportation or sale of goods and products, performance of works or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements").

Working at the mining and processing plant in the village of Revda in Lovozersky district is the only source of income for most families

It happens that TV comes to Lovozersky GOK. But the bosses take TV people to places where everything is perfect. It was reported by IA Nord News.

The site of Lovozersky GOK reports, that the company carefully monitors the safety at working places. In the "Information" section, a statement of industrial safety policy is attached, and management is responsible for implementing it.

This document is usually accompanied by a report on the conduct of a special assessment of working conditions and a list of recommended measures to improve working conditions. They are signed by the General Director, the Head of the Labor Organization Department, and the Chairman of the Trade Union Committee.

Everything seems to be fine!

And, as stated by senior assistant Prosecutor of the Murmansk region Angelika Chernogubova, statements on complaints about labor safety on the territory of Lovozersky GOK to the Supervisory authority was not received, so the Prosecutor's Office of the Murmansk region does not conduct checks.

But in vain... They would have found a lot of interesting things.

Spot in the waters of Umbozero Lake

Already in mid-June of this year, 2020, Rostechnadzor employees were trying to find out where a huge turquoise spot appeared on the surface of Umbozero Lake in the Murmansk region (located near the Lovozersky mining and processing plant).

Umbozero Lake in the Murmansk region

They put forward a version that the preliminary cause of the appearance of a turquoise spot of unknown origin could be the ingress of rocks and their chemical components into the water during a flood.

But then another version was announced: an abandoned mine belonging to the Lovozersky GOK could be a possible source of contamination. Since, muddy-turquoise water flows through the waterways to Umbozero Lake from its side, this can be the reason of the water area colouring.

The regional Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief reported that the provision of water to villages around Umbozero Lake is carried out from underground sources, as the nearest water intake is more than 100 km from the place of the emergency.

"If we talk about Lovozersky GOK, the working conditions at this enterprise can lead to a disaster. And cause irreparable harm to the lives and health of many people," - Mikhail Dvorkovich is sure of this as well.

Billionaire Petr Kondrashev, apparently, does not know in what conditions the miners work at Lovozersky GOK

And, according to Mikhail Dvorkovich, all this is due to the fact that almost all the funds received from the holding's activities are withdrawn abroad using various schemes by controlling shareholders. The products are allegedly sold to companies affiliated with the majoritaries at low prices, and thus the main profit is generated not at JSC Solikamsk Magnesium Works, but at intermediary companies owned by them.

It should be recalled that Petr Kondrashev together with two other business partners (Sergey Starostin and Timur Kirpichev) controls 75 % of the shares of the magnesium plant in Solikamsk.

The court forbade Mr. Kondrashev, Mr. Starostin and Mr.Kirpichev to perform any actions with the company's stocks. But it did not forbid the disposal of property. This may lead to the alienation of the holding's property by entering into fictitious loan agreements and using other "grey schemes".

And then nothing will be able to save the company...

TO BE CONTINUED