The chief of Russia’s main spacecraft manufacturer issued a dire warning this week, saying that his corporation has reached a “critical” condition and cannot continue in its present state.
“The situation is critical: multi-million dollar debts, interest on loans that ‘eat up’ the budget, many processes that are ineffective, and a significant part of the team has lost motivation and a sense of shared responsibility,” said Igor Maltsev, chief of RSC Energia, which is located near Moscow.
Maltsev’s remarks were first published by Gazeta.ru, one of the largest Russian news websites. Later, they were reposted on the “Forgive us Yura,” Telegram channel, the name of which references cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and primarily has content that focuses on critiques of Russia’s space program. Multiple sources confirmed that the statement is legitimate.
The largest company within Russia’s vast, state-operated space enterprise, Energia is named after the legendary Soviet rocket scientist Sergei Korolev. It is also located in the industrial city of Korolev, where an artillery plant was rebuilt after World War II to produce rockets and spacecraft for the space age. Today, Energia manufactures the Soyuz crew spacecraft, the Progress cargo vehicle, and the modules for Russia’s next-generation space station.
Difficulty paying wages
In his message to the corporation’s thousands of employees, Maltsev said Energia is having difficulty paying wages and delivering the spacecraft and other products it is contracted to build.
“We need to stop lying to ourselves and others about the state of affairs, convincing ourselves and others that everything is fine with us,” he said. “The time demands decisive action from us—not to sit, but to fight for the enterprise. I suggest that everyone answer the question honestly: are you ready to work for the result and make a real contribution?”
