Russian dairy packaging manufacturer Primekartonpak has stopped operations at its plant in the Leningrad Region following an attack by Ukrainian drones, Vedomosti reported. The newspaper cited a letter written by the factory manager.
The facility is located in the Utkina Zavod industrial zone in the Vsevolozhsky District. Drones from the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck near the site while targeting a Wildberries logistics center, damaging Primekartonpak production spaces. Investigative authorities are working to determine the causes of a fire at the packaging plant.
The site was formerly owned by Norwegian liquid food packaging maker Elopak, which sold its Russian business assets to local management in mid-July 2022. It produces Pure-Pak (Gable Top) non-aseptic cardboard packaging used for pasteurized milk and chilled products.
Impact on Dairy Producers
Primekartonpak supplied major Russian dairy market companies, including Ekomilk, Altayskaya Burenka, Yaroslavl KMP, Orenburg MK A7 Agro, and dairy plants in Kirov, Tula, Nalchik, and Korenovsk.
Russia previously faced severe packaging shortages after major Western manufacturers left the country, creating difficulties with cardboard supplies and equipment maintenance under Western sanctions. Analysts at the Milknews agency and Soyuzmoloko noted that the industry only overcame those issues by February 2024.
Experts warned that shutting down one of the country's largest producers could trigger another packaging crisis, although any new disruption is unlikely to match the scale of the 2022 crisis.
