Stankomash

How Putin built his heavy industry

I have repeatedly pointed out that the modern Russian military industry has little continuity with the Soviet one. Destroyed in the 1990s, it was effectively created anew by Vladimir Putin. Still, it may sound too abstract, so I will zoom in on one specific example:

STANKOMASH

Putin is inspecting Stankomash. February 2024

Located in Chelyabink, Stankomash industrial park hosts major producers for the nuclear, shipbuilding, oil & gas and energy industries. It also produces weaponry, including mine trawls and artillery ammunition (based on the open sources).

All under the umbrella of Konar company

Some examples of the Stankomash manufacture. These photos well illustrate the philosophy of Soviet/Russian dual use industry. In the peace time, you focus primarily on civilian products, in the war time you convert it all to the production of weaponry.

Now the neat part is. The dual use purpose of this plant remains pronouncedly Soviet. But the plant itself is not Soviet. It's Russian. It's all created anew. Having exactly 0% continuity with the old plant build by Joseph Stalin, new plant was 100% built anew by Vladimir Putin, in the late 2010s - early 2020s.

The old, original Stankomash was launched in 1935. Officially framed as a machine tool producer, it was of course a dual use facility that played major role in the WWII as the manufacturer of tanks & artillery ammo.