Debts, violations, state contracts. What is the famous plant that exploded in Sergiev Posad

Alexander Dybin

The explosion in Sergiev Posad occurred at the site of an optical and mechanical plant. At the time of publication of this material, 25 victims are known, the rubble is still being dismantled. Later, the security forces clarified that the pyrotechnics warehouse at the Pyro-Ross plant exploded. According to one version, a car that drove into the industrial zone could explode. Questions are added by the fact that the plant has been in bankruptcy for two years.

The company «Piro-Ross» was founded in 1994. It was created by a former employee of the local Research Institute of Applied Chemistry Sergey Chankaev. At first, the company was engaged in the sale of fireworks, then it began to produce fireworks itself. She even took a share of several state-owned enterprises that produced explosives. But the company has always been independent.

The company reached its peak by the mid-10s, when it became the main contractor of the Ministry of Defense for the supply of fireworks. The largest portfolio of state contracts from the military department was received in 2016 year — 115 million rubles. But after that, the profit declined, in 2020 the plant received only 2 million rubles under state contracts.

It is believed that all this is due to the decision of Dmitry Mevedev, who in 2008 handed over to Rostec about 400 problematic enterprises, including those that produced pyrotechnics. So Pyro-Ross had a powerful competitor, which eventually took over the market. In 2021, the plant was declared bankrupt due to multimillion-dollar claims of the tax service. In 2022, the company's staff recorded a video message to Vladimir Putin, in which people said that they did not receive a salary for a year, and the management only promises. The debt amount of 50 million rubles was called. Now the company has introduced a bankruptcy management procedure, the final amount of debt has not yet been determined.

Shortly before the bankruptcy, there were claims against the plant from Rostec and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. So in 2020, Rostec's inspection revealed that a number of employees had not passed certification in the field of industrial safety, special exercises were not conducted with employees of the explosive materials processing site to act in the event of an accident or incident. In the same year, the State Supervision Authority brought the company to responsibility for «not ensuring the safety of people.»

Not much is known about the founder of the plant Sergey Chankaev. There are several local media publications on the web that note its closeness. Nevertheless, Chankaev tried to get into the public chamber of Sergiev Posad, and once became a sponsor of the city fireworks, providing charges for a fire show. Interestingly, the pyrotechnics factory produced not only fireworks, but also clothes. This was due to the seasonal demand for fireworks, so women's clothing was sewn on the same squares and sold in a shop at the factory. This direction was supervised by Chankayev's wife.

The publication Baza got through to the ex-director of the company «Pyro-Ross» Sergey Chankaev, he claims that the explosion occurred not in a warehouse of pyrotechnic products, but in a neighboring warehouse where metal pipes were located.

As Andrei Mardasov, a deputy of the Sergiev Posad city district, told Novye Izvestia, despite the bankruptcy, activity continues at the Piro-Ross site.

«Two years ago I raised the issue of non—payment of wages at the plant, » the deputy said, «but the owner of the enterprise was on good terms with the former head and the issue was considered behind closed doors, even me, the deputy was not allowed.»

At the same time, this is not the first explosion in the city associated with the production of pyrotechnics. Last summer, three men were killed in an explosion in garages. The reason was the artisanal production of pyrotechnics by the company's employees. Even earlier, a truck that was transporting an iron booth bought in the industrial zone exploded on the move. There were finished pyrotechnic products inside. Miraculously, the explosion did not hit other cars and the bridge under which it passed a moment before the explosion.

«This time there are oddities, as a result of the explosion, iron blocks, similar to blanks for shells, flew around the city, » said deputy Andrei Mordasov, «now I'm looking at just such a thing. What it is is not clear. But they flew to the private sector and other enterprises.»

Pyro-Ross is located on the same industrial site with the Zagorsk optical and mechanical plant, which is part of the Shvabe holding, owned by Rostec. The company produces optical and optoelectronic devices for law enforcement agencies, industry and healthcare.

Recall that as a result of the explosion on the morning of August 9, at least 25 people were injured in Sergiev Posad. Among the victims there are passers-by who were near the plant at the time of the explosion. They received shrapnel wounds. Eyewitnesses report that as a result of a powerful explosion, windows were broken not only in the premises of the plant, but also in neighboring buildings and houses.