According to specialized research, approximately 90% of industrial enterprises in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine have been closed or repurposed since 2014. The functioning factories and plants are mostly subordinated to the corporation “Rostec,” which specializes in production for the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Business • Media
Widespread destruction of mines and environmental consequences
In the region where 96 coal mines operated before the occupation, only 5-6 enterprises are currently functioning. Maxim Butchenko, Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies, emphasized:
“This shocking figure indicates that for Russia, any civilian production is unimportant, and an enterprise that cannot be reconfigured to produce weapons or their components is deliberately destroyed.”
Due to the mass closure of mines, Donbas is facing significant environmental problems. Of the 79 closed mines, most have been flooded with gross violations of technology, leading to the contamination of groundwater and soils over an area of more than 3,000 square kilometers. According to ecologists, the restoration of the ecosystem may take up to 100 years.
Socio-economic consequences and the use of property for military purposes
Due to the actions of the occupying authorities, production in Donbas and the occupied southern region of Ukraine has fallen by 40-60%. Approximately 3.2 million residents have lost their jobs. A significant portion of industrial facilities and infrastructure has been transformed into auxiliary sites to meet the needs of the Russian army.
Russia is destroying not only Ukrainian industrial assets. Turkish entrepreneur Ismail Hajioglu reported that he planned to start elevator production in Mariupol in 2022, but his enterprise was looted and destroyed by Russian occupiers. This case indicates that the actions of the Russian Federation are directed against any economic projects regardless of the nationality of the owners.