Kazan powder factory

18th century

In 1772, "to the pleasure of the Siberian Department of gunpowder," it was decided to build a powder factory in Kazan.

In 1782, a decree was issued by the Office of the Chief Artillery and Fortification on the selection of a place in the vicinity of Kazan for the construction of a plant with an output of 3-4 thousand pounds of gunpowder. In 1783, the “Perspective Plan” was fulfilled, which was then transferred to the Governing Senate . It was approved by Catherine II ^[2] .

In January 1786, the lieutenant colonel of artillery, Prince S. M. Barataev , presented the “Plan for the designated construction at the site of the powder factory adopted by the village of Yagodnoy ...”. Already in the summer of that year, construction work began on the right bank of the Kazanka River ^[3] .

The construction of the plant was facilitated by the chief of artillery of Kazan, Major General P.P. Banner . The construction was carried out by the colonel of artillery, Prince S. M. Barataev, under the supervision of an artillery inspector, Major General Vitovtov ^[4] .

On June 24, 1788 , after the solemn liturgy and the consecration of the plant by the priest of the Zakharyevsky church, the plant of five runner factories was handed over to the representatives of the Main Artillery and Fortification and proceeded to the standard production of gunpowder. During the first year, five runner factories produced 5486 pounds of black powder - cannon, musket and rifle ^[5] .

In 1789, the number of runner factories was doubled; and over the next 17 years, the annual production capacity of the plant ranged from 7000 to 8000 pounds ^[3] .

XIX century

In 1807, 27 more factories were added to the existing ones, with the corresponding number of other associated buildings, and the possible annual productivity of the plant rose to 30,000 pd ^[3] .

In the 19th century, the settlement of factory workers - the Powder Village was significantly expanded. Here the Powder Church of St. The Miracle Worker Nicholas, The First Gunpowder Mosque "Barudia" , The Second Gunpowder Mosque.

At the beginning of the century, workers of the Kazan factory for saving resources and “danger of work” repeatedly received allowances for the established wage ^[6] .

During the Crimean War of 1853 - 1856, the plant produced more than 60,000 poods of gunpowder annually ^[5] .

In May 1861, according to the Supreme Command of Alexander II , a chemical laboratory was founded at the plant ^[7] .

In 1866 - 1867, the enterprise underwent a general reconstruction with the transfer of mechanisms to mechanical drives, the creation of a modern heating and lighting system, the replacement of all production facilities with brick, with a further increase in the production of black powder, the output of which was 70,000 pd ^[5] .

Since 1872, the factory began the transition from compulsory labor to hired labor ^[3] .

On June 24, 1887, the Grand Dukes - artillerymen - Mikhail Nikolaevich and Sergey Mikhailovich visited the plant ^[4] .

In 1888, the plant finally switched to mechanical engines (before that, some factories were "horse-drawn"). In total, during the first century of existence, the plant prepared about 2,000,000 pd of various grades of gunpowder ^[3] .

In the 1890s, a radical reconstruction of the plant began, to adapt it to the manufacture of smokeless powder . Since 1893, the gross production of pyroxylin powder was opened ^[3] .

N.P. Zagoskin described factory territory at the end of the 19th century as follows:

Kazan gunpowder factory is an extensive fenced grove along which individual factories, workshops and other factory buildings are scattered. The place occupied by the plant is popularly called the “town” - and this is, indeed, a whole small town with its own special world, its own administration, interests, and spite of the day. Two of its settlements are adjacent to the plant - “near” and “distant”. The plant has its own electric lighting, and horse-drawn railway connecting some parts of it. A significant number of officers living in the factory’s town, serving under him, even caused the establishment of a special “military assembly” here, in short - a powder factory, with its vast settlement, living a life completely separate from the life of the rest of the Kazan population.

- Satellite in Kazan. An Illustrated Landmark and City Directory, 1895. ^[4]

XX century

With the outbreak of World War I, the Kazan gunpowder plant began to fully develop production, and in 1915 it was decided to overhaul the plant, increasing the plant's capacity to 480,000 pd of gunpowder per year, or up to 40,000 pd per month ^[8] .

To this end, in 1915-1916, another equally powerful plant was built next to the existing plant, commissioned in early 1917 . However, in August of that year, the old Kazan plant was destroyed to the ground by explosions that occurred from a fire that occurred at the Porokhovaya station and then at the Kazan artillery warehouse. A new powder factory was also affected by the explosions, but after repairs it resumed production of gunpowder and pyroxylin ^[8] .

In the 1930s , at the Lenin plant number 40, as it was then called, an almost new powder factory was built, 4 times more powerful than the one that was during the First World War ^[9] .

During World War II, the government ordered the Kazan Powder Plant to develop new missile charges ^[10] . From the very first days of hostilities, the entire production of the plant was transferred to military rails. A 12-hour working day was introduced in two shifts; men and adolescents mobilized into the Red Army were replaced. During the Great Patriotic War, more than 103,000 tons of gunpowder were produced, including special delivery gunpowders (supplied by the Allies for Lend-Lease), about 22,000 tons were used during the war years. Up to 30% of the gross output amounted to charges for Katyush ^{[11]. In the} fall of 1941, a special technical bureau ( sharashka ) OTB-40 was evacuated from Moscow and the factory began, where the imprisoned engineers worked: former director of the Kazan powder factory Schnegas, prominent experts N. Putimtsev, R. Friedlander, A. Ryabov, G. Shtukater and others who created many models of new equipment during the war years ^[2] .

For valiant work during the war years, the plant was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree . In subsequent years, the plant was awarded two other orders - the Red Banner of Labor and the October Revolution , which were awarded to the staff of the enterprise for the restoration of the national economy, for the production of civilian products (haberdashery and toys, varnishes and enamels, glues, lamps and kitchen cabinets, vorsonite, synthetic leather and other products) ^{[5] [2]} .

In the years 1947-48, many specialists working in the OTB-40 ended a ten-year sentence. And then a new research center was established at the plant, in which civilian employees worked, many of whom were previously prisoners. In 1948, A.V. Gryaznov was appointed its first director. This center was first called the OTB-40. Then, as it developed, it changed its name several times: NII-40, from the mid-60s the Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Products (NIIHP), now the Federal Treasury Enterprise “State Research Institute of Chemical Products” (FKP GosNIIHP "). It was one of the leading weapons development centers in the USSR ^[12] . The institute oversaw 15 factories in the country, introducing new technologies and new products (for example, technologies for producing gunpowder and charges for artillery systems “Peony”, “Hyacinth”, ZIF-91, grenade launcher “Coster”, “Metis” and “Cobra” complexes) ^{[ 13]} .

By the end of the 1980s, all production facilities of the enterprise were fully loaded, the range of manufactured products, both military and civilian, was continuously updated. The plant fully satisfied the needs for different types of gunpowder and charges of all the combat arms of the Soviet Army and the armies of the Warsaw Treaty countries, part of the products were exported to various countries of the world ^[5] .

With the collapse of the USSR, the enterprise was in a difficult financial situation.

21st Century

After the 1990s, when the plant was on the verge of bankruptcy, by a decree of the Government of Russia dated August 26, 2002, it was decided to create a federal research and production center State Kazan Research and Production Enterprise named after B on the basis of the property complex of the liquidated Federal State Unitary Enterprise . I. Lenin “” (FSUE FNPTs GK NPP named after Lenin) of the new Federal Treasury Enterprise “Kazan State Treasury Powder Plant” (FKP KGKPZ).

In 2003, the enterprise was granted a subsidy on a gratuitous and non-refundable basis for settlements with its staff on wages and creditors in the amount of 50 million rubles ^[14] .

Since that time, the enterprise is wholly owned by the Russian Federation and is strategic ^[15] .

The plant operates a scientific and technical center "Energy Systems and Resource-Saving Technologies."

Since 2006, a branch of the Engineering Chemical-Technological Institute of Kazan State Technological University was organized at the plant.

The plant has its own historical horse-drawn park of four dozen horses. Gunpowders use horse-drawn vehicles as the safest - “sparkless” - method of transporting explosive substances ^[16] .

The main products of the enterprise are gunpowder and propellant charges for small arms, aviation, naval, artillery, tank weapons and close combat systems.

Special Products ^[17] :

• gunpowder for small arms of caliber 5.45-14.5 mm;
• cartridges for land, aviation and naval artillery caliber 23-30 mm;
• gunpowder and missile charges for shots of melee systems:
  • charges for launch rocket engines of grenade launchers of the RPG-26 , RPG-27 , RPG-29 systems;
• gunpowder for sports and hunting cartridges.

Other products:

• Cellulose nitrates ^[18] ;
• Nitro enamels and varnishes ^[19] ;
• Pyrotechnic products ^[20] ;

In addition, the Kazan gunpowder factory produces earthing anodes designed for use as earthing switches for cathodic protection stations of trunk pipelines and other underground metal structures ^[21] .

Commanders and directors:

• 1786-1787 - Colonel Prince S. M. Barataev
• 1787-1798 - Lt. Col. Banner
• 1806-1826 - Major General F.I. Reslane
• 1826-1828 - Major General I. A. Neratov
• 1828-1834 - Major General Glukhov
• 1834-1836 - Major General S. S. Mazaraki
• 1836-1847 - Lieutenant General Y. P. Tebenkov
• 1851-1855 - Major General A.E. Nosov ^[22]
• 1857-1882 - Major General M. M. Svechnikov
• 1882-1885 - Major General M.I. Shatilov
• 1885-1917 - colonel, then lieutenant general Vsevolod Vsevolodovich Luknitsky (commander of the Kazan powder factory since 1885, director in 1909-1917)
• 1917-1918 - Colonel Mukhin
• 1918-1919 - Vladimir Vladimirovich Shnegas
• 1919-1924 - A. Zharko
• 1930-1932 - Semenov
• 1932-1936 - Evgeny Ivanovich Mikiton
• 1936-1937 - D. Ravich
• 1937-1938 - M. Fedoseev
• 1938-1939 - Alexey Yakushev
• 1939-1941 - Konstantin Ioffe
• 1941-1942 - Alexey Yakushev
• 1942-1944 - Vladimir Ivchenkov
• 1944-1947 - Vladimir Mosin
• 1947-1952 - Nikolai Andreevich Borisov
• 1952—1955 - Vsevolod Stepanovich Slastnikov
• 1955-1967 - Anatoly Vasilyevich Gryaznov
• 1967-1994 - Sergey Georgievich Bogatyryov (Director and General Director)
• 1994-1997 - Farid Fayzievich Gazizov (General Director)
• 1997-2003 - Sergey Eduardovich Mezheritsky (General Director)
• 2003 - 2017 - Khalil Zinnurovich Giniyatov (General Director)
• 2017 - p.t. - Alexander Borisovich Livshits (General Director)
• The chief engineers of the plant:
• 1943-1949 - Moses Mikhailovich Tropp
• 1949-1955 - Anatoly Vasilyevich Gryaznov
• 1955-1961 - George Prokhorovich Onishchenko
• 1961-1974 - Yusuf Mukhamedzyanovich Baygildin

Khusainov Shavkat Lutfullovich

• Shapovalov Evgeny Vasilievich - Chief Engineer / Production Director
• Borbuzanov Vitaliy Gennadievich - chief engineer (? - present) ^[23] .

At the powder factory more than once there were fires and explosions.

The largest in the history of the plant in the 19th century were explosions in 1830 and 1884 ^[3] .

The devastating fire, which destroyed a million shells and more than ten thousand machine guns in August 1917, is known as the Kazan Disaster . During it, many workers of the plant and residents of the Porokhovaya Sloboda were injured, the director of the plant, Lieutenant General V. V. Luknitsky, died ^[24] .

March 24, 2017 there was an explosion and fire of 3 workshops. Explosion and fire were visible from all areas of Kazan. According to the data at 23:50, the guard of the 3rd part, Eduard Illarionov, died.

• Glinsky A. S. 100 years of the Kazan powder factory. - SPb. : Printing house of the "Artillery Journal", 1888.
• Kuleshova S. Red Gate // Soviet Tataria . - 1979. - August 31.
• Казаков В. С. 210 лет на службе родине: Казанский пороховой завод. — Казань, 1998.
• Белов С. Г. Казанский пороховой завод // Татарская энциклопедия. — Т.3. — Казань, 2006. — С. 105.

• Казанский государственный пороховой завод (официальный сайт)