Star (factory, Shostka)

1771 - 1917

The Shostka plant was created in 1771 ^[2] in accordance with the decree of Empress Catherine II on the site of the powder factory that had been built earlier by order of the Senate (construction began in 1736), which worked from 1739 to 1742.

The first commander is Major A. Rudometov. In 1826-1832, the director was Major General K. A. Bendersky ; in 1832-1849 - Major General V.V. Gerbel ; in 1855-1857 - Major General I.E. Nosov . In 1909-1917, the plant was led by Major General G.P. Kislinsky.

In 1848, capsule production was established at the plant.

In the first 100 years of its existence (1771–1881), over 2 million poods of different types of smoke powder and over 200 million were produced at the plant. capsule. The company also cleaned saltpeter for other plants. The plant was repeatedly reconstructed. In particular, in 1884-1889. new brick buildings were built, three steam engines were installed; a narrow gauge railway was laid between the shops; electric lighting of the plant was introduced (since 1888).

In 1893, the Shostka powder factory was one of the largest enterprises in the Glukhovsky district of the Chernigov province of the Russian Empire . At this time, the number of employees was 3360 people, the main products were gunpowder (55 thousand pounds per year) and saltpeter (40600 pounds per year) ^[2] .

At the end of the 19th century, after the invention of pyroxylin, ballistic and cordite gunpowder, the plant launched the production of lighting rockets, pyroxylin checkers, detonator capsules and other ammunition.

During the First World War, the main products of the plant were gunpowder, capsules, and rockets. In 1915, about 56 thousand missiles were launched, including 20 thousand 3- and 4-inch missiles without an illuminating warhead for throwing “cats” on wire fences. On average, during the war years, the production of lighting rockets was about 50 thousand per year. Since 1915, the capsule workshop has produced over 100 million combat capsules per year. There were also workshops of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, pyroxylin and ether. In 1915, a large-scale modernization began: a central power station was built for 2 turbo-generators of 2000 kW each, a second line of powder production was built and pyroxylin production was expanded (Dutch nitration, hot washing), and the building of the central factory laboratory was built. As a result of the work performed, by the beginning of 1917 the production of smokeless powder increased to 170 thousand pounds per year. The company supplied the Warsaw, Novogeorgievskaya, Kovensky, Ivangorod, Libavsky serf artillery. During the war years, more than 10.8 thousand tons of smokeless gunpowder was delivered to the Russian army ; smoke powder produced over 70 thousand tons.

1918 - 1991

On November 8, 1917, a rally was held at the plant where workers supported the October Revolution of 1917.

In April 1918, the Austro-German troops occupied Shostka, which remained here until November 1918. Subsequently, almost until the end of 1919, the territory was in the combat zone of the Civil War .

During the Great Patriotic War from August 27, 1941 to September 3, 1943 the city was occupied by German troops , but then the plant was restored.

Until 1966, the company was called Plant "Mailbox No. 9" ^[3] .

In May 1965, a branch of the All-Union Electrotechnical Institute was established on the basis of the production of electrical insulating materials at the Zvezda plant (since 1975 it became a branch of the All-Union Scientific Research and Design Institute of Electrical Insulating Materials and Foil Dielectrics, and later transformed into Research and Development and Design -technological Institute of electrical insulation materials and foil dielectrics) ^[4] .

After 1991

After the independence of Ukraine , the plant was transferred to the subordination of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine .

In March 1995, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine included the plant in the list of enterprises whose privatization is prohibited due to their national importance ^[5] .

In August 1997, the plant was included in the list of enterprises of strategic importance for the economy and security of Ukraine ^[6] .

In 2006, the plant’s production capacity was 5.1% full ^[7] .

In 2006-2007 one of the plant’s managers wrote off and sold the company's real estate, which caused damage to the state in the amount of almost 3 million hryvnas ^[8] .

As of the beginning of 2008, the list of the main products of the plant included:

• 23 mm rounds UOF7, UBR1 ^[1]
• 30 mm rounds of UBR6, UOR6, UOF8 ^[1]
• 100-mm round of the ZUOF17 index with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile ^[1]
• 122 mm rounds of the ZVOF5, ZVO6 index with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile ^[1]
• 122 mm 53-VOF-463M index shot with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile ^[1]
• 125-mm tank shots with armor-piercing-projectile shell ^[1]
• 125-mm tank shot of the ЗВБК10 index with cumulative shells ЗБК14 and ЗБК14М ^[1]
• 125-mm tank shot of the ZVP5 index with a practical cumulative projectile ^[1]
• ZVOF36 index 125-mm tank shot with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile ^[1]
• 125-mm round of the ZVP6 index with a practical shotgun shell ^[1]
• 125 mm blank shot index 4X33 ^[1]
• 130-mm 53-VOF-482VU index shot with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile ^[1]
• smoky granular gunpowder ^[1]
• Fire-resistant cords of grades OSH and OSHP ^[1]
• pyroxylin powder ^[1]
• full variable charge in the sleeve of the 4G23 index for shells of the index 53-OF-462, 53-OF-462ZH, 53-BK-463U, 53-BK-463UM to the 122-mm howitzer M-30 ^[1]

In August 2008, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense allocated UAH 8 million to the Zvezda and Impulse plants for the disposal of ammunition ^[9] .

In May 2009, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allocated quotas for the shipment of technical ethyl alcohol to the plant for the production of organic synthesis products ^[10] .

After the creation of the state concern " Ukroboronprom " in December 2010, in 2011 the plant became part of the concern.

In November 2011, the management of Ukroboronprom Group of Companies announced its intention to develop a plant restructuring program with the aim of creating a company for the development and production of ammunition and explosives (which included the Shostka Zvezda plant, the Shostka Impulse plant and the Research Institute of Chemical Products ) ^[11] .

In 2012, the plant's net profit amounted to 85.296 million hryvnias, and for the first time in 20 years, the plant invested 2.5 million hryvnias of its own funds for the modernization of capacities ^[12] .

At the beginning of 2013, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine allocated another 60 million hryvnias to the Zvezda and Impulse plants for the disposal of ammunition ^[13] .

At the beginning of October 2013, the plant signed a contract for the supply of 30 tons of smoke powder for a total amount of about 2.5 million UAH. for the production needs of CJSC "Ukragrobukh" and KP ShKZ "Impulse", which became the first large state order in nine years ^[14] . The contract was executed on December 16, 2013 ^[15]

On November 25, 2014, in accordance with the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the plant was included in the list of enterprises whose protection should be provided by the National Guard of Ukraine ^[16] .

In July 2015, Director of Spetstekhnoexport, Pavel Barbul, said that Spetstekhnoexport was purchasing factory-propelled projectile charges for shells of 125-mm tank guns for sale for export, since there was no demand for them in Ukraine ^[17]

• On August 19, 2002, as a result of the ignition of raw materials, a fire broke out in workshop No. 5, one person was injured ^[18]