Formerly managed by Industrial Union of Donbass, Revyakinskiy Metallurgical Combine (Tula Region of the Russian Federation) got under the management of Gaz-Alliance, which is associated with businessman Sergei Kurchenko, close to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. This is reported by Kommersant with reference to its own sources.
Sources, familiar with the situation, argue that raw materials for this plant will come from the occupied Donbass, where the structures of the businessman, who fled from Ukraine, control illegally confiscated metallurgical and coal enterprises.
According to them, lots of square billet have already been sent to the Tula enterprise (from Alchevsk and Yenakieve plants). Ready-made rolling is planned to be sold mainly in Russia. Experts suggest that some of the products could be sold in Syria.
In addition, it is possible that the metal of the “DNR/LNR” will be sold in other markets due to the inclusion of RMK and Stavstal in the scheme, the assets of which were transferred from Industrial Union of Donbass to Kurchenko. It is difficult to find out the origin of metal.
Gaz-Alliance received the assets of the Revyakinskiy Metallurgical Combine and Stavstal after the February arrest of the co-owner and general director of the IUD Oleg Mkrtchan, accused of stealing Vnesheconombank loans issued to the IUD.
The Ministry of Finance of the United States is confident that Kurchenko controls Gaz-Alliance, against which sanctions for the management of coal assets in the “DNR/LNR” and the trade of their raw materials have been introduced. Sources say that since 2017, Kurchenko’s structures control metallurgical assets, "nationalized" in the occupied Donbass. The so-called Vneshtorgservice, linked to him, was "officially" announced the "temporary manager" of Alchevsk and Yenakieve plants, legally owned by the IUD and Metinvest.