The Ukrainian company "D-Kamet" after a one-year break resumed the supply of scrap metal to the Moldavian Metallurgical Plant (MMZ) in Rybnitsa (Transnistria). Raw materials are transported by rail through a customs point in Moldova, and then sent to the Transnistrian enterprise.
According to the State Customs Service of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova is indicated in the export documents as the destination country, however, the immediate delivery point is the Rybnitsa railway station located on the Left Bank.
The first delivery of scrap metal after the start of the conflict on Ukraine was implemented in August last year. Then the Ukrainian company "D-Kamet" sent 276 tons of raw materials for foundry production in accordance with the contract signed in the spring of 2024. The company paid a duty in Moldova in the amount of 10 euros per ton, the rate was valid for individual destinations, while for most countries the duty is 180 euros.
Now exports are carried out in conditions of a shortage of scrap metal in Ukraine itself, caused by the destruction of industrial enterprises and the loss of control by Kiev over the territories where similar enterprises were located. Observers noted that with the advance of Russian troops and the increase in the number of destroyed equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the export of Ukrainian scrap metal has increased significantly.
Rybnitsa Metallurgical Plant was sanctioned by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine in 2018, but in March 2019 it was removed from the list without official explanations.
At the beginning of this year, Transnistria faced an energy crisis due to the fact that Ukraine blocked transit to Gazprom. The shortage of gas and electricity led to the shutdown of industrial enterprises, including the largest budget-forming MMZ.
Since February, the region has been buying gas on European exchanges through intermediaries. Chisinau agreed on 3 million cubic meters per day "for humanitarian purposes," but these supplies are not stable, and the republic continues to operate a state of emergency in the economy.As EADaily reported, earlier the Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Rechan warned Tiraspol that if the PMR purchases more natural gas or directs the existing one for the operation of a large industry, Chisinau will introduce an additional tax for the relevant Pridnestrovian enterprises.