Cut wings

2024 Author: Matthew Elmers | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-11 04:35

I read here recently about my cars (Yak-38, Yak-41) - as they say, nostalgia overwhelmed. I got into the Internet to dig, how did it happen that not only the history of domestic "vertical units" "ended", but also the plant that built them was "put on pins and needles." The story turned out to be not such old days.

This year the Saratov aircraft plant would have turned 81 years old.

In 2011, according to fellow journalists, abandoned giant workshops and smaller dilapidated buildings still remained from the aircraft plant. There was even something left to export: non-ferrous and ferrous metals, equipment. But in 2012, two workshops and a foundation pit for the future shopping center remained from the entire huge plant. Everything else is either empty space or a few residential new buildings. That's the whole landscape on many hectares. Already, these hectares have already been transferred from the category of industrial lands to lands for residential and public-business development, the airfield of the aircraft plant has been bought out, and now these are lands of promising development. Only one fragment of the once gigantic plant remained primordially factory-owned - the one where they intended to build an enterprise for the production of turbines for hydroelectric power plants. But this is not for long, because, as you know, this plant will definitely not be built in Saratov.

Caught on

It is interesting that when the SAZ practically disappeared, officials bustled around the empty space. Aleksey Kubrin, the deputy plenipotentiary for the Volga Federal District, remembered the enterprise, making a caustic remark to the provincial authorities, and a number of high-ranking officials were saddened by the aircraft manufacturer that had disappeared forever. It so happened that the author of these lines, from the late 90s to the final stage, observed the agony of aviation from a fairly close distance. And what he could not see with his own eyes, he learned from eyewitnesses and historians.

So, in 1929, it was decided to create a plant for the production of agricultural machinery in Saratov. On the basis of this production, an aircraft plant was subsequently created. Officially, the year of birth of the Saratov Combine Harvester Plant, and then the Saratov Aviation Plant, is considered 1931. For 6 years, the staff of the enterprise produced more than 39 thousand combines, and in 1937 it was reoriented to the production of aviation equipment.

During an excursion in 2007, we had a chance to see models of winged vehicles in the SAZ museum. So, the first was the high-speed reconnaissance aircraft R-10, it took off from the airfield of the plant in 1938, the second in 1939 was the I-28 fighter. In June 1940, the plant was instructed, within three months, to master the serial production of the Yak-1 fighter created by the young aircraft designer A. S. Yakovlev. In October 1940, the first three Yak aircraft took off, and during the war it was the fighters that became the main products of the plant. They were even released in the open air, when, after the German bombing, 70% of the production area was destroyed. In total, during the war, the plant produced over 13 thousand Yak-1 and Yak-3 fighters, and after the war, the first Yak-11 training aircraft rolled off the assembly lines of the SAZ.

In 1949, the plant tested the first jet fighter of the La-15 design, in 1952 it began mass production of the Mi-4 helicopter, in 1967 and 1978 it switched to the production of its proprietary Yak-40 and Yak-42 aircraft. For the period 1967-1981. 1011 Yak-40 aircraft were produced, and Yak-42 and Yak-42D in the period up to 2003 - 172. vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. In the period from 1974 to 1989, the plant managed to produce more than 200 of these machines, some of the qualities of which, as we have heard, are not surpassed even today.

Some sources even argued that it was the desire of competitors to permanently stop the production of such advanced aircraft that caused the terrible tests that befell the plant with the beginning of the market era.

But, I think, in reality, the SAZ fell victim not to the world behind the scenes, but to the "nashenskih" mazuriks, who famously put on the wing, but not aircraft, but all factory goods. The SAZ was so large that the good was enough for two whole waves of effective management.

Trojan horse

The first began with the director of perestroika, Alexander Ermishin, who started out as a mechanic at the plant, grew up to be a shop manager, moved along the party line, and then returned to the plant again. In 1988, when industrial democracy developed in the country, the factory workers, fascinated by the ruddy manager, elected him to the director, although much more worthy people applied for this post.

In 1991, on the initiative of Yermishin, SAZ was transformed into a collective enterprise, and the director piled up a booklet about everyone's personal interest. Then KP turned into LLP, in 1994 - into CJSC. The shares, with a par value of 38 kopecks, were divided among the employees. However, in 1994 it became clear to everyone what capitalism in general and national capitalism in particular was: there were no orders, no earnings, no prospects. And the people's director sculpted all the new books about industrial philosophy, and slowly traded in the factory social services. The team, which at the beginning of the Yermishin era numbered almost 18 thousand people, was rapidly melting away. Moreover, the plant had chances to get out of the peak. In 1993, China wanted to buy 10 Yak-42 from SAZ, paying 12 million dollars for each car at a cost of 7. But Alexander Ermishin for some reason did not sign the contract, and 120 million dollars "flew" by the plant. They say he was waiting for a gift from the Chinese side, but did not wait. In 1995, the Chinese planned to order 46 Jacob at once. Yermishin stuck to the last, and when he agreed, it was too late - the Chinese reoriented to Boeing. Whether he fulfilled a direct order from competitors is unknown, but, according to the capital's media, in the midst of factory troubles, the general director erected a two-story mansion in the very center of Saratov, built a “house” for his father, and bought a three-room apartment in Moscow for his son. The plant, meanwhile, was interrupted by rare orders from Gazprom for the assembly of new aircraft, and repairs of old ones.

But this music could not play forever. Without developing the enterprise, dissuading from everyone with tons of tales about some investors who are about to come and invest millions of dollars, the storyteller Yermishin brought the plant to the brink of an abyss. In 2006, the storyteller was very unlucky: he ran into honest auditors. As you know, each joint-stock company must hire independent auditors who can impartially assess the financial and other capabilities of the enterprise, and give a development forecast. Often, auditors get off with general, insignificant phrases, since there is practically no federal control over their activities.

But the report of the specialists of the company "REAN-audit", who conscientiously delved into every detail of the factory life, could be read like a detective novel. In the most difficult situation, the plant sells the Yak-42D aircraft, which had an actual cost price of 142 million, for 43 million and suffers almost 100 million in losses on this one deal! But it is difficult to find at least some kind of cash at the plant: the enterprise is divided into a bunch of "daughters" and "granddaughters" who are chasing bills of exchange in a circle. But at the same time, SAZ even takes a loan from the Saratov Bank at 38% per annum and … with this money buys securities in the same bank! And this despite the fact that the 2006th enterprise ended with a loss of 143 million!

Auditor Larisa Konnova concludes that even in this situation the plant has a chance to restore its solvency: it is necessary to separate the subsidiaries into independent companies and sell non-core and unnecessary property. Yermishin categorically dislikes the conclusions, and he does not pay the auditors for the work, without giving any reason for his decision.

Bankruptcy

But on the threshold there is an attack that cannot be driven out of the door. Back in 2004, by order of the Gazprom-based company Gazkomplektimpex, SAZ was supposed to make an airplane, but the director spent the allocated advance to lay the skeletons of three cars instead of one, and then began to demand that the customer buy them all … 300 million rubles, but only in 2007 the creditor managed to enter bankruptcy, "freeze" both debts and transactions with the plant's property. The external manager Felix Shepskis filled up the authorities with demands to seize the property of the SAZ, so that the cunning Yermishin did not have time to sell everything, but the judges and prosecutors showed strange indifference. Finally, Shepskis caught him selling factory land and finally dismissed him.

Communication with this specialist gave hope that the seriously ill giant of the aviation industry still has a chance. But Shepskis suddenly resigned and, allegedly for health reasons, left the company. Meanwhile, the Gazprom firm assigned the right to claim the debt to a certain LLC Monolit-S, the place of Shepskis was taken by an external manager from the Penza SRO Liga Igor Sklyar, and the plant was headed by a completely unexpected person - the deputy of the Penza City Duma Oleg Fomin, who had never worked at strategic enterprises … At home in Penza, Fomin owned minibuses, and then he undertook to restore the production of aircraft. He loudly told reporters about this intention at the same time in 2007. Even in the press, information was spread that the United Aircraft Corporation had allegedly recommended him to the SAZ.

On the territory of the plant, the press was shown the Yermishin "plague" - it turns out that at the enterprise, which had stood for several years without light, water and heat, under General Director Yermishin they worked in special tents made of plastic film. There was a smokehouse and a potbelly stove inside, but the temperature in winter did not rise above 5 degrees. In such conditions, the old factory workers worked, and it seemed that before us came to life cadres of military newsreels. For contrast, they showed us a building with a European-quality repair, where a new, very honest administration was sitting. It took Fomin a year and a half to settle his debts, which had accumulated under a billion rubles;

Indeed, at first, the changes at the SAZ were pleasing to the eye: the new team set up a real felling, cutting down trees that had been growing for 20 years in the abandoned territory, the salary debt was paid off to the staff, the plant was again connected to public utilities. SAZ top managers, together with members of the regional government, began to look for air orders for the plant.

Masks dropped

Who knows, maybe Fomin's team really had good intentions, but then a crisis broke out and all hopes of staying in aviation collapsed. Quietly, without any media reports, the bankruptcy administrator Igor Sklyar brings the bankrupt plant to an amicable settlement at the end of 2008. It would seem that one should rejoice. Here are just some of the details confusing: during the procedure, Mr. Sklyar did not even draw up a plan for external management, and the settlement itself was concluded while maintaining gigantic debts.

Thus, the plant's accounts payable amounted to 532.6 million rubles, and the share of OOO Monolit-S accounted for 522.5 million rubles. The second largest creditor was the tax authority (5 million rubles). It is even more interesting that in court the bankruptcy commissioner presented a loan guarantee of a certain MAST-bank in the amount of 1.4 billion rubles for the completion of three aircraft. But these guarantees are off-balance sheet and do not bind the bank to anything. And after the approval of the settlement agreement, a completely different amount appeared in the company's annual report as tax debts at the end of 2008 - 140 million rubles. But the tax authority for some reason does not protest the 5 million indicated in the settlement agreement. And, finally, judging by the text of the "Determination on the approval of the amicable agreement" dated December 29, 2008, during the period of bankruptcy proceedings, 193 million rubles were received on the main account of the debtor.rubles, of which the current debts were repaid for 11, 5 million. Others, judging by the text, was spent "on the bankruptcy proceedings." Apparently, the procedure turned out to be very profitable …

It is easy to understand that the main creditor, who had 99% of the debt, could push through any decision in court. Likewise, Mr. Sklyar could not bother himself and did not defend the external management plan before creditors. After all, his people are all around: Oleg Fomin was the chairman of the board of NP "Liga", and the manager Sklyar was subordinate to him, while at the plant they change places, because it was Sklyar who put Fomin as director. This is also a violation of the law, but such trifles did not bother the regional arbitration court at all. Like the law enforcement agencies, they were not at all alarmed when they learned that SAZ has not one, but several accounts, on which for some reason it is impossible to find the money received by the manager Sklyar from the sale of property.

Multiplication by zero

By the summer of 2009, the destruction of the plant enters the final stage. Even in peacetime, the general director Fomin spoke about plans to locate a compact aircraft plant with modern equipment, and put the rest of the land under construction, having sold everything that is not needed for production. But this quite normal plan is being implemented in the logic of the same Penza recovery.

For example, before the meeting of shareholders in the summer of 2009, in 2007 the aircraft plant, judging by the official reports, sold products worth 990 million rubles, and in 2008 - 524.6 million. the results of main activities (repairs and maintenance of aircraft), and another 439 million earned from the sale of land, buildings and structures. In 2008, the plant earned only 54 million rubles from the sale of property, while production activities brought in 470 million. I wonder why the manager Sklyar's report contains other amounts of proceeds from the sale of property?

In the summer of 2009, a meeting of shareholders of the CJSC takes place, at which elderly shareholders who do not understand much vote for the reorganization of SAZ by separating two OJSCs - Razvitie and Yuzhny Aerodrom. By the way, according to the financial statements presented to the shareholders, as of March 2009 the plant's accounts payable amounted to 1.5 billion rubles! The assets are estimated at 1.6 billion rubles, so the Penza health workers still had a place to roam.

According to the plan announced at the meeting, as part of the reorganization, part of the company's assets were transferred to new joint-stock companies, which also took over part of the parent company's debts. According to this plan, OJSC “Yuzhny Aerodrome” should deal with the acceptance and maintenance of Yak-42 airplanes, OJSC “Razvitie” accumulates assets not directly related to production, and the parent enterprise CJSC “SAZ” will fully focus on the production of components for the aviation industry.

What this led to, everyone already knows. First, as if by magic, the famous checkpoint with orders disappeared, then the monument dedicated to the factory workers who died during the Great Patriotic War fell victim to the construction projects of capitalism. Of particular value in the eyes of the destroyers was a bronze slab with the names, and the rest, including a capsule for descendants, plunged into the pit under the future building of the Ikea shopping and entertainment complex. Two boxes remained from the workshops, the land after cleaning was either sold or transferred to a pre-sale state. It is even ridiculous to talk about a compact modern plant - since the year before last, SAZ has not even accepted Yaki for technical and operational support. Wikipedia writes that this is the only case in the history of Soviet and Russian aviation.

Even the runway has disappeared from the territory of the Yuzhny airfield, and the company itself has been in the last stage of bankruptcy since May this year. Debts on it 70 million - of course, hopeless. Fuselages of unfinished liners were cut and scrapped. And in the assembly shop, as Wikipedia writes, there is one mothballed Yak-38 aircraft, one Yak-42D (they will never take off), and an EKIP apparatus. But this is outdated information. Our sources report that the Yak-42D was cut at the beginning of July, the EKIP plate was sold long ago. Life on this vacant lot has survived only in the workshops of Sfera-Avia, which produces defense products and successfully rivets consumer goods such as aluminum tanks.

So, to the sound of pots, the ghost factory floats into its wingless future. Who are the heroes who ensured such an inglorious finale to the Saratov Aviation Plant? With Yermishin, who disappeared without a trace after 2007, everything is clear. But the Penza health-improving doctors are an interesting company.

At one time, the federal weekly "Top Secret" published materials (first, second) that the controlling stake in ZAO SAZ was "wrested" from the owners by retired FSB Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Naumov, who, according to Top Secret, managed to a lot of things to do in this life.

The author of these lines contacted one of the heroes of the publication - the top manager of the Moscow enterprise "Voskhod" Vladimir Yegorov, who, again, according to Moscow journalists, became a victim of extortion and physical violence by a retired intelligence officer.

Mr. Yegorov said that 51% of the shares of CJSC SAZ had indeed been transferred by its former general director Alexander Yermishin to the technical firm Trans-S, which was backed by the top managers of Voskhod, and was subsequently "squeezed out" by Naumov. Further 51% of the shares were sold in the interests of the company "Monolit-S" to a certain Anisimov. Officially, the transaction amount was 150 thousand rubles, unofficially, according to the bill scheme, the purchase price was about 500 million rubles. Mr. Egorov was convinced that Monolit-S LLC was a fictitious company created to carry out unseemly affairs. The firm is closely related to CB MAST-bank, which can be a link in a system that works to “squeeze out” assets. According to Mr. Yegorov, the bank was controlled by one of the State Duma deputies from the Penza region, the same deputy may have coordinated the activities of "Monolit-S". Oleg Fomin, according to Vladimir Yegorov, was also closely associated with "Monolit-S", and besides, Yegorov is sure, he could not be recommended for the director's post of the United Aircraft Corporation.

Of course, this is just the opinion of the person concerned. However, it was MAST-Bank that gave guarantees for SAZ when the settlement agreement was approved. In addition, as soon as the Vremya newspaper began publishing a series of materials on the aircraft plant in 2009, a sudden hysteria happened to the well-known editorial board portal. In the heading devoted to rumors, there was a note that the State Duma deputy from the Penza region Igor Rudensky is very dissatisfied with this scribble, and the publisher of the newspaper "Vremya" will soon be hacked along the party line.

Here's a county detective. Dramas like this have been played out a lot over the market years. It's just that in this story, the piercing symbolism of a forever bygone era and all the basest, huckster's, thieves' things that brought a new time into our life are very vividly intertwined.

Natalia Levenets