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Reuters news agency published an article regarding the role of Russian billionaires in the production of military equipment, specifically focusing on chemical factories:
Key Points:
Chemical Supplies for Explosives: Factories owned or founded by some of Russia's richest men supply essential chemicals to plants that manufacture explosives for the Russian military during the Ukraine war.
Railway Data Analysis: Reuters analyzed over 600,000 rail shipments to trace the supply chain of chemicals needed for explosives from February 2022 to September 2024. This data showed that five chemical companies, in which five Western-sanctioned billionaires hold stakes, supplied over 75% of the chemicals to major Russian explosive factories.
Billionaires Involved: The billionaires include Roman Abramovich, previously owner of Chelsea Football Club, and Vagit Alekperov, ranked as Russia's richest man by Forbes in April with an estimated fortune of $28.6 billion.
Sanctions and Civilian Use Claims: Despite sanctions, these companies continue to supply chemicals, often claiming civilian use, although their involvement significantly supports Russia's military efforts.
Military Production: Russia has been heavily investing in military production, producing about 2.4 million artillery rounds in 2024 and importing 3 million from North Korea. The involvement of these billionaire-owned factories is crucial for this output.
Specific Factories: The article highlights the Sverdlov facility in Dzerzhinsk, the largest producer of plastic explosives HMX and RDX, and other factories like those run by Eurochem, founded by Andrey Melnichenko, which supply chemicals to Sverdlov.
Other Notable Contributions: A steel plant owned by Evraz supplied toluene for TNT production, and the Sredneuralsk Copper Smelting Plant provides oleum to various powder plants.
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