One of Russia’s Main Defense Plants Suspends Part of its Output

In the Chelyabinsk region, the Ashinsky Metallurgical Plant (AMZ) has announced a reduction in production and staff.

By the end of the year, the company will mothball its stainless steel production shop and lay off more than 300 employees, The Moscow Times reported.

According to the same media outlets, the laid-off workers were offered alternative employment options.

It was added that the plant itself said it would stop producing “household goods” to focus on core products and modernization.

It is also known that in connection with the massive layoffs, the regional prosecutor’s office became interested in the situation and came to a meeting with them to clarify the circumstances.

The management did not specify the timeframe for the shop’s mothballing, citing unstable demand for stainless steel products.

The layoffs will affect 376 people, mostly women aged 45-57.

Other workshops, according to the publication, are also almost not working.

People are allegedly being sent on unpaid leave or transferred to part-time work.

AMZ is the main employer in the region, according to local media.

It produces special alloys, heavy plates, and electrical steel for Russia’s defense, aviation, nuclear, and oil and gas industries.

It was mentioned earlier that the Russian military-industrial complex is entering a state of exhaustion – despite the rapid growth after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.