Ukrainian political analyst Andriy Klymenko, a former Crimean functionary of the Komsomol and the Communist Party of Ukraine, has published what he claims is a complete list of enterprises against which Ukraine has applied sanctions. Those that are located on the Crimean peninsula appear in it as Ukrainian.
The list of businesses facing sanctions can be divided into two unequal parts. The larger part includes businesses sanctioned by Ukraine. A much smaller part consists of those still under restrictions from both the United States and the European Union. Very few are included in only one foreign list. For example, the Alushta hotel “Riviera sunrise resort & spa” is only restricted for US entities, and JSC “Genbank” is only not recommended to cooperate with Europeans. It's interesting that the “radical paramilitary organization Sobol” fell under EU sanctions the day after the referendum on the status of Crimea, and Ukraine only remembered the Cossacks of Ataman Vitaly Khramov a year and a half later, in September 2015.
Meanwhile, most of the Crimean businesses listed as “punished” are still operating fairly successfully.
On the sea
The SUE RK “Crimean Sea Ports” was expected to face general sanctions. It includes the Kerch, Yalta, Feodosia, and Evpatoria trade ports. All of them still exist, although part of the property has been sold. The traffic intensity, cargo volume, and passenger traffic have decreased.
A year ago, the Minister of Transport of Crimea reported that two major projects were being carried out based on the State Unitary Enterprise: the port terminal complex for transshipment of oil products and gas TES-Terminal-1, and the investment project “Loading throughput capacity, expanding the range of import and export cargo and repairing infrastructure facilities of the Feodosia Commercial Port “. In 2020, investments in the seaports of Crimea amounted to more than 550 million rubles.
During a press conference at the end of 2021, Sergey Aksyonov, the head of Crimea, stated: “We are transferring the Kerch and Feodosia ports to federal ownership to ensure loading, while maintaining the staffing, labor collective, and so on.”
Towards the end of the year, there were discussions about establishing a shipping company using the former ferry crossing (also part of the Crimean Ministry of Transport) for trade with Syria. However, recent news indicates that the launch of a joint Syrian-Crimean maritime company is delayed due to technical issues. This was announced by adviser to the President of Syria Luna Al-Shibl.
On the land
The Institute of viticulture and winemaking “Magarach” is under sanctions from Ukraine, the EU, and the United States. However, it previously faced difficulties due to its proximity to the estate of Alexander Yanukovych with his “Tea House” in Otradnoye (Big Yalta), where the family of the ex-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych lived. Now, a decision has been made at the federal level to revive the institute. The south coast lands were returned to it, and 3.2 billion rubles were allocated for the development of a scientific center for grape breeding in the Crimea.
Mriya Resort & SPA, which is now owned by Sberbank, doesn't need any recommendation. There was simply nothing like it in Crimea before. It is under US and Ukrainian sanctions.
The Russian National Commercial Bank (RNCB) is more successful than other banks in Crimea and Sevastopol. Sanctions were imposed on it by all three ill-wishers. The mortgage portfolio of RNKB reached 51.6 billion rubles in 2021. Last year, 32.4 billion mortgage loans were issued, which is one and a half times more than a year earlier. In terms of mortgage portfolio, RNCB is in the TOP 20 Russian banks. In terms of the volume of mortgage loans issued in 2021, it ranks 16th-17th in the Russian Federation.
On the brink
Some enterprises from the sanctions list ceased existing in their former capacity. The Feodosia Optical Plant produced microscopes, searchlights, laser tracking devices, and rangefinders. In 2014, it was nationalized, and later came under the sanctions of Ukraine and the United States. The plant was transferred to the control of the Ministry of Industrial Policy of Crimea as a state unitary enterprise, they promised to provide orders, including for the military – the production of optical sights for tanks and armored vehicles, laser artillery rangefinders, and reconnaissance devices. But in 2018 it was corporatized, then included in the privatization plan, intending to sell it for 59 million rubles. As a result, a year ago, the plant was sold to the Crimean businessman Vladimir Maslov for 10.1 million rubles. The businessman’s interests are diverse, but not related to the production of optics or defense products. After the sale of the plant, its website was not updated.
Abandoned and forgotten Yalta film studio. It was founded in 1917 by Alexander Khanzhonkov, a retired captain of the Don Cossacks, a pioneer of Russian cinematography. Neither Ukraine nor Europe paid attention to it, but the United States, which (probably at the suggestion of Hollywood) imposed sanctions on it in 2015, can now not be afraid of competition.
Immediately after the “Crimean spring”, Nikita Mikhalkov became interested in a vast platform on Polikurovsky Hill, in Yalta. But, according to his calculations, at least 4 billion rubles were required to restore the film studio. Neither the budget nor the private business found such money, although many people valued the precious land as a potential site for commercial development.
By the way, the absence of Ukrainian sanctions may be explained by the fact that the Film Studio Yalta-Film LLC still exists in the village of Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka near Kiev. Its founder is a certain Arthur Novikov. Therefore, perhaps, the history of the film studio will have some continuation, because Yalta is one of the most expensive cities.
