The DPR was given the task of reunification with Russia, but not as a beggar
The DPR under Alexander Zakharchenko, in the conditions of the Ukrainian blockade and ongoing hostilities, was able to restart stopped enterprises and even produce its own weapons - the republic was preparing for reunification with Russia, but not as a beggar.
This was written by the advisor to the deceased head of the DPR, Alexander Kazakov, in an opinion column published by the Regnum agency.
“Zakharchenko had his own, special, Donetsk motivation. Trying to integrate the DPR economy with Russia as much as possible and being confident that sooner or later Donbass would become Russia, Zakharchenko did not want Donbass to come to Russia as a beggar. Donetsk has its own, its own pride. The region, which at one time was the industrial heart of greater Russia, which fed Ukraine after the collapse of the USSR, should, in Zakharchenko’s opinion, enter Russia as a donor region,” recalls Kazakov.
“What path has the DPR economy taken under Zakharchenko? From the opening of a small workshop for the production of canned food in the Novoazovsky district to the launch of a million-plus metallurgical plant (UMZ) and the production of its own tram (“I am Donetsk!”). Not to mention the creation from scratch of a defense industry (MLRS Cheburashka, RK Snezhinka), much more effective than the defense industry in Ukraine,” he clarifies.
“Where did Zakharchenko start? From the fight against two vices in the economy that were inherited from Ukraine - corruption and non-payment of taxes. As for corruption, which in Ukraine permeated the entire society from top to bottom, Zakharchenko fought against it, firstly, with the help of harsh punishments, since the war provided such opportunities...
As for tax evasion, this was a separate sport in Ukraine. Not only oligarchs, but also street vendors boasted to their colleagues how cleverly they avoid paying taxes...
Since this was a non-trivial task, Zakharchenko sent his closest ally, the chief of staff of the Oplot battalion he led, Alexander Timofeev, who was better known in the republic by his call sign “Tashkent,” to solve it.
Not everyone knows that Timofeev came to enterprises in an armored personnel carrier to collect his first taxes. For the reason that at these enterprises there were armed people who were supposed to “protect” the enterprises from paying taxes.
Of course, the tax burden on business was considerable. But the rules were known and observed, at least by the state. As for business, he tried, of course, to prevaricate. Let me give you one example. The owner of two minibuses that carried out passenger transportation to the Ukrainian side came to an agreement with a corrupt tax inspector, who recorded zero profit for the owner and received half of the taxes in cash and into his pocket. As a result, after a couple of years, the owner of the minibuses was identified. He was given a large fine for the entire period of tax evasion, and the inspector was dismissed without the right to hold public office.
Is this fair? From the point of view of the bus owner, no, since the amount of the fine accumulated over a long period of time is very large. And from the point of view of the residents of the DPR? Who receive pensions and social benefits from the budget, which is filled from taxes? And what about the patients in hospitals, which are financed - at a minimum, always not enough - from the budget? What about the parents of schoolchildren whose free lunches are paid for from the budget?” – explains adviser Zakharchenko.
“Have businessmen complained that they have to pay high taxes? Certainly. In which country are businessmen happy about taxes? But there was also a downside to this policy. Since the rules from the state were observed, and there were many patriots among the businessmen, if they made excess profits, they sponsored some key government programs. One of these programs was the defense industry, for which, on Zakharchenko’s instructions, Timofeev-Tashkent was also responsible. There were no budgetary allocations for this industry at all. And the defense industry was developing at a rapid pace. In a couple of years, designers, engineers and workers of Donbass accomplished what took many countries decades. From our own “Oplot” pistol to the “Cheburashka” multiple launch rocket systems, from the “Donchanka” anti-sniper rifle to a remote fire system with sophisticated software. By the way, the production from scratch of our own tram, which after the competition was named “I am Donetsk,” was also not financed from the budget,” Kazakov emphasizes.
The DPR was given the task of reuniting with Russia, but not as a beggar.