Rostec over "waste" in the rye

How many spears are broken on the subject that it is no use to take offence at journalists. It's like being offended when it's snowing or raining. Dear Sirs, you mustn't blame the mirror for showing a crooked face. So Rostec, drowning in its "waste" problems, began to threaten journalists with "revenge". We were contacted by colleagues from the IA UtroNews agency, who complained about pressure from the state-owned company headed by Sergey Chemezov.

Rostec, in fact, did not like the article called Chemesov on medical waste?, which was published by the journalists.

Our colleagues honestly wrote that the state-owned company wanted to take over the medical waste market, referring to the Government decree No. 431 dating April 3, 2020, which, in fact, gave Rostec the rights to provide regions with medical products.

The Government changed its mind and suspended the decree. Though, it didn't cancel it. Rostec decided to wait till everything is over. And here you are, "sneaky fakenewsmen" from UtroNews suddenly raised the topic.

Get them. We will show you "the wasp's sting". Haven't you read the criminal code? We'll read it to you. And Rostec demonstrates the paper with the following content to UtroNews:

The UtroNews portal published material containing information that does not correspond to reality, is defamatory and damages business reputation. Particularly, it is about the following fragments:

"Apart from the fact that the Corporation controls the volume of PPE (personal protective equipment: medical masks, gloves, gauze, protective clothing sets) in the regions, but it also regulates the margins level on products.

If we allow it to operate on the disposal of the same PPE, it is likely that its turnover will be difficult to track, since the accounting of issued and disposed PPE is concentrated in one hand and it can be artificially increased under the guise of noise. And as a result - to increase money flow."

Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation, which is discussed in these fragments:

- suspended from April 13, 2020, that is, at the moment it is not actually valid, as was reported publicly;

- does not limit the production of personal protective equipment by existing market participants.

Thus, published information can be regarded as deliberately false, that is, as slander.

In this regard, we demand that you immediately delete these fragments.

If there is no response to this request, the company will be forced to take comprehensive measures to protect the violated rights.

Yours sincerely,

Press Service of

The State Corporation Rostec

T: +7 (926) 911-28-36 / Moscow, Usacheva str., 24 www.rostec.ru

Taking into account the reaction to the material, which followed with lightning speed, Chemezov was touched a nerve. What didn't he like so much? The press service of Rostec GC tried to explain this to our colleagues from UtroNews. In particular, it asks to remove "some fragments" from the publication that may be regarded as deliberately false, that is, as slander. And then this passage follows: "If there is no response to this request, the company will be forced to take comprehensive measures to protect the violated rights."

Our colleagues are probably just shaking with fear, like autumn leaves in the forest.

But why does the State Corporation have the right to tell journalists what to write in publications and demand to remove "some fragments"?

Moreover, we are talking about a socially significant topic, such as medical waste, and in particular, the medical waste, which came in huge numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic announced in March this year. Rostec GC, which has long been trying to absorb every conceivable waste, in the case of recent events can not just get rich, but be covered with diamond scabs: so great is the number of waste in the fight against the "Covid". It's not millions, it's not billions, it's trillions...

But why was there such a sharp reaction from Sergey Chemezov's Department?

A correspondent of The Moscow Post studied this.

Minister Kobylkin against Chemezov's initiatives

It should be noted that Mr. Chemezov is muddying "water" in the waste mortar not for the first time. Back in December 2019, the Head of Rostec addressed Deputy Prime Minister (at that time) Alexey Gordeev, who at that time was in charge of waste management in the Russian Government. Mr. Chemezov requested that Rostec be given the status of a Federal operator for industrial waste management.

However, Environmental Minister Dmitry Kobylkin opposed granting Rostec GC the status of a Federal operator for handling industrial waste of classes III–V (low-hazard), which accounts for 95% of all waste.

Thus, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation did not support Sergey Chemezov's proposal to grant the State Corporation the status of a single operator for handling low-risk industrial waste. The Ministry of Natural Resources expressed itself briefly and angrily: "This will infringe on the interests of small businesses..." as RBC wrote.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation Dmitry Kobylkin

Dmitry Kobylkin sent his letter to the Government of the Russian Federation.

In this letter, Mr. Kobylkin referred to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, according to which the share of small businesses in the business related to waste management reaches 82.5%.

Manturov did not help his friend Chemezov in this situation...

And that is why, as Dmitry Kobylkin explained, the creation of a Federal operator in a market economy will entail negative economic consequences for business structures, including such small enterprises, and will lead to infringement of their rights to conduct business. RBC wrote about this in detail.

Dmitry Kobylkin also noted that the proposal contradicts the aims and tasks of the "strategy for the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Russia until 2030", as well as the requirements of antitrust legislation.

It seems that everything is written clearly. However, it was January 2020 on the calendar at that time. And the pandemic was raging in China.

Though, it soon became clear that Russia's landfills were about to start receiving "Everests" of medical waste.

Harm the nation's health?

What did the journalists, our colleagues in UtroNews, warn about in their investigation article "Chemezov on a medical waste?"

Sergey Chemezov's ardent desire to monopolize the sphere of medical waste through Rostec structures may threaten to harm the nation's health: Rostec companies want to control the volumes and tariffs for the export of medical waste, including masks, gloves and personal protective equipment.

Sergey Chemezov, Head of Rostec GC, wants to take over all waste of the Russian Federation

Market players are sounding the alarm: monopolization of the sphere, which is inevitable under the scenario, proposed by Chemezov, will lead not just to an increase in prices, but to a financial burden on medical institutions. And medical institutions, in conditions of budget deficit, will be forced to reallocate funds. And will not buy new medical equipment. All this can affect the health of Russians.

All these muddy games of Sergey Chemezov with waste - and they have been going on for more than 10 years, lead only to muddy tariff formation, possible schemes for stealing money from subsidiaries, supply disruptions, as well as loud scandals.

And today, indeed, we are not just talking about medical waste, for which there are many hunters, we are talking about the health of the nation in the light of this huge problem.

The journalists wrote everything in detail, and there appeared an instant warning. And the threat of visiting courts.

Sky-high tariffs?

It should be reminded that our colleagues from UtroNews wrote that Rostec GC offered its subsiadiary, Roskhimzashchita company, to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, where Mr. Chemezov's friend Denis Manturov runs the company. Chemezov's Department proposed Roskhimzashchita as a single operator for the export of medical waste, masks and equipment.

A letter with a proposal from the Rostec GC went to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, to Manturov's First Deputy Minister Sergey Tsyb. And in April of this year, Roskhimzashchita became the Federal operator for supplying the regions with masks and protective equipment. But then the Government decree was suspended for some reason....

What is the result? The Corporation not only controls the volume of personal protective equipment in the regions, such as medical masks, gloves, gauze, and protective clothing sets, but also regulates the level of margins on these personal protective equipment.

Really, not gold, but diamond bottom!

There are many hunters for medical waste today!

The volume of masks used due to this damned coronavirus is also very impressive: more than 900 million pieces per month. And this is not the limit, taking into account that some Russian regions still have quarantine measures. And wear masks.

Today, used masks are exported to landfills of solid municipal waste by specialized companies. Experts believe that if there is a single Federal operator, competition will immediately disappear, which will give an impetus to price growth. This is fraught primarily for medical institutions. Such institutions have a small budget: it is not possible to save money on waste disposal, and again, it will be necessary to cut funding for equipment. That's what's being done...

And if Rostec GC breaks into the operators for the disposal of personal protective equipment, it is likely that the turnover will be very difficult to track. And this turnover can be artificially increased. And of course, the money flow will also get bigger.

The whole scheme was perfectly sorted out by the UtroNews journalists. But Rostec GC did not like it.

But where did this Roskhimzashchita come from?

Tambov wolf not our friend?

It turns out that this company appeared 17 years ago on the basis of FSUE TambovNIHI. And all this time Roskhimzashchita has been producing insulating suits, respirators and filters-absorbers.

Roskhimzashchita revealed its financial achievements for the last time in 2016: revenue - 1.1 billion rubles, profit - 98 million rubles. The company was a supplier for 132 state contracts. How much did it earn? More than 2.3 billion rubles.

It is very difficult to track the market for the volume of personal protective equipment and the purchase budget today. But it is clear that this market is huge. But why is such an intermediary as Roskhimzashchita needed in this scheme?

Although it is clear that Rostec GC really wants to take over the entire market of personal protective equipment.

But Rostec wants to manage more than just medical expenses. Even earlier, as already mentioned above, Chemezov's Department wanted to "swallow" the industrial waste market (this is the III-V hazard class, or low-risk).

The cost of removing and storing waste of this class is 1.4 trillion rubles per year. Aren't the appetites too brutal?

Waste "throne"

Thus, Sergey Chemezov is waiting impatiently for taking over all the Russian waste. Does he wants to be the waste king?

It should be recalled that when in 2010 the Russian Government just started discussing the waste reform, Mr. Chemezov brought out another subsidiary of Rostec - the RT-Invest company. This company immediately started winning tender after tender.

Thus, 3 years ago, RT-Invest won tenders from the Ministry of Energy for the construction of incineration plants in Kazan and the Moscow region. And became the only participant. Very soon, it became the largest operator in the Moscow region: it received more than 60% of waste under its management.

Rostec snatched up three more contracts for a total of 109 billion rubles in the full absence of competitors: other bids were not allowed to enter the competition.

And, nevertheless, soon showed a loss of more than 1 billion rubles.

Another former subsidiary of Rostec GC, JSC Natsionalny Ekologichesky Operator, in 2010 also began to collect regional waste disposal operators. Today, companies with a similar name have been created in the regions, only with the addition of RT and indication of the region. They show great profitability, in contrast to JSC Natsionalny Ekologichesky Operator.

It must be said that RT companies - Natsionalny Ekologichesky Operator do not work very transparently. And they constantly attract the attention of the FAS. For example, in Irkutsk, the Antimonopoly Service revealed violations in the work of a regional operator for the removal of solid household waste after complaints from firms about tariffs.

Well, it just can't work transparently.

Write detailed letters

What concerns our colleagues-journalists from UtroNews, they clearly state their position in the letter they sent to the state-owned company, which we give below.

And explained why "some fragments" can't be removed from the post.

In particular, the Government decree No. 431 of April 13, 2020 "On establishing the specifics of circulation of medical devices and restrictions on wholesale and retail trade in medical products and on the list of such products, where the Government of the Russian Federation decided to designate JSC Roskhimzashchita as the Federal operator-coordinator for ensuring the needs of the subjects of the Russian Federation for certain types of medical products that are subject to restrictions on wholesale and retail trade, is currently suspended, i.e., it is not canceled, but only temporarily does not apply.

Further, our colleagues clearly explain that the article "Chemezov on medical waste?" reflects the author's subjective opinion, as evidenced by the expressions "if now allowed", "probably", "if it is necessary" and can not be verified for validity and, accordingly, is not subject to judicial protection.

And the article does not contain any false information, since all the facts were not taken from the air! And journalists have every right to express their opinions, if they do not go against the legislation of the Russian Federation.

But it seems that the State Corporation Rostec is used to hearing only themselves, especially since the Head of this Corporation has been trying hard to fit the "crown" of the waste king on his grey head for several years.

He has not succeeded so far.