This part of the problem is not that easy to describe due to restricted nature of the "defense information". However, available public data affords sufficient analysis and conclusions.
Taking on trust supporters of Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM) re-opening, the Ministry of Defense has the only and sole-source manufacturer of the key missilery production that is awkwardly located near the state boundary. It looks strange at least.
It should be noted that there are some other oddities which in no way follow common sense and agree with the principles of national defense posture.
If it is the only mill able to produce "key defense production" though poisoning Lake Baikal, how they could stop such a vital entity in 2008? What was the government idea when it made numerous decisions on closing/ re-establishing the mill or on its conversion and transferring to complete cycle production? Or the government was never going to implement those decisions? How the announcements about temporary start-up of the plant can be interpreted? Is it right to assume that important defense production will survive its usefulness in the nearest future?
Are statements of the necessity to start-up BPPM for the purpose of its "civilized shutdown" the nest bluffing? How a breach in our state defense will be sealed off without BPPM? There are many questions but no answers are heard.
Saying the least of it, the sole-source nature of BPPM looks unlikely considering the fact that such a "unique" manufacturer was given to a non-state "inefficient owner" which brought the plant to collapse. Thus it is strange even to discuss strategic importance of BPPM.
Aggregated data on the mill affiliation to military-industrial complex indicates the following:
In 1960-s in high gear of the cold war BPPM was built to produce cord rayon pulp for combat aircraft tyre casings. Such production required pure water of Lake Baikal. At that period the Soviet Union did not have primary water purification technology.
Synthetic alternatives for cord rayon pulp appeared almost immediately after the mill construction. In many senses there was no point in the mill's existence. In the result in 1992 BPPM scaled down cord rayon pulp production completely and production equipment was dismounted.
Another "strategic" production - viscose sulphate bleached pulp - is used to produce carbon filament and black fiber. Till 2008 BPPM manufactured that particular pulp most part of which was exported to China. Approximately 300t of that pulp per year was supplied domestically for military-industrial complex needs.
It shall be noted that viscose pulp used to be and is still produced at Kotlasskiy pulp and paper mill (KPPM) (the town of Koryazhma, Archangelsk Region), which quality is better that BPPM's, based on research results.
There is no surprise that based on the RF Federal Tax Service, in 2009 BPPM supplied only 1-2% of its production on domestic market while KPPM supplied up to 35% of its production (article based on materials of scientific and research work "Market analysis for wood logging, production and disposal (unprocessed log, plank timber, carving wood, wood board) in the Russian Federation". (Source: Letter from the RF FTS dated 21 August 2009 No ??-23-3/656. http://www.audit-it.ru/articles/finance/a106/194177.html and http://www.mnogozakonov.ru/catalog/date/2009/08/21/54487/textpage/3/.)
Black fiber is the product that connects viscose pulp with military-industrial complex of our country. Being highly resistant to high temperatures, carbon fabric is used to produce key missilery units and components.
The following entities are producing or used to produce such fabric:
- Svetlogorskoye PA Khimvolokno (Republic of Belarus);
- Balkovskiye fibers;
- Khimvolokno (Barnaul);
- TVERSKOYE KHIMVOLOKNO;
- JSC VISCO-R (Ryazan Region);
- JSC Khimvolokno (Serpukhov).
In respect of Svetlogorskoye PS Khimvolokno producing "Ural" carbon fabric, we can say it successfully operated during the last years supplying carbon fibers to many countries; including during the period when BPPM was stopped.
In accordance with unofficial sources, the US has a plant located on Lake Ontario that is similar to BPPM. It is known that the lake is one of the most polluted among the Great Lakes, however, it apparently does not prevent from using its water to produce "missile" materials.
Thus, in our country and in the CIS several plants continue or able to produce materials for defense production on the basis of viscose filament, and a list of this filament suppliers is not limited to Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill.