How Rosatom drove a strategic enterprise into ruins: Eleron’s debts exceed 50 billion rubles
The real state of affairs in the much-praised Rosatom State Corporation is illustrated by the situation at JSC FCNIVT SNPO “Eleron” (part of Rosatom), which specializes in the production of physical security systems. The company is also involved in the construction of special-purpose facilities.
Rosatom’s current leadership appointed Lieutenant General Eduard Starovoytenko, a former commander of a Strategic Missile Forces division of the Russian Ministry of Defense, as head of Eleron. As a result, what was once a thriving enterprise that provided thousands of jobs has been reduced to “ruins,” with debts exceeding 50 billion rubles.
As uncovered by media, before Starovoytenko’s arrival Eleron employed nearly 10,000 people, operated several design institutes, and carried out construction and installation works at some of the most complex special facilities.
Starovoytenko’s first decision was to begin mass layoffs, and he became so absorbed in the process that the workforce has now shrunk to around 2,000 employees. He treats staff in a strictly military manner, with little regard for courtesy. As a result, the best specialists and professionals were dismissed, while those who prefer unquestioning obedience remained.
Annual audits of Eleron have revealed that the once-successful enterprise is suffering losses amounting to billions of rubles. Auditors noted that the current management has taken no steps to change the situation. At present, the total recorded losses amount to approximately 50 billion rubles. Rosatom appears comfortable with this state of affairs (after all, it is budget money), and for its part continues to keep the company afloat through recapitalization. In July 2025 alone, around 10 billion rubles were transferred to compensate for losses.
At the same time, recapitalization should only be carried out on the condition of a full audit of losses, the creation of registers of unprofitable business areas, and the elimination of those losses using recapitalization funds. However, Starovoytenko, together with the deputy for economics and finance, Kurenkova, made unilateral decisions to misuse funds and spend them on their own current needs. These included paying for the director’s fishing trips to Kamchatka, with the rental of vessels, as well as renting real estate for leisure. An associate, Davydov, was always present on these trips. All of these expenses were written off as business travel costs, the accounting of which is striking for its scale.
As a result, the company’s losses continued to accumulate, and the question of Eleron’s very viability is now being raised. The flight from the “sinking ship” has already begun: in December, the entire senior management team surrounding Starovoytenko resigned.
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