TOPAZ Microelectronics Plant

SA “Topaz” (also known as Uzina „Topaz” or Intreprinderea mixtă Uzina Topaz SA) is a large Moldovan industrial enterprise, historically rooted in Soviet-era electronics and precision engineering. It developed into a strategic manufacturer of microelectronics and electrochemical processing machinery, including equipment for aviation-engine blade finishing and control systems. The enterprise was founded in 1978 as the Chişinău instrument-making factory, evolving under Soviet planning into a hub for advanced machinery and electronics production. After Moldovan independence, it was reorganized as a joint-stock company (SA/IM Uzina “Topaz”). Privatization in the early 2000s eventually placed it under Russian industrial ownership, specifically the United Engine Corporation, a subsidiary of Rostec. In recent years it has attracted attention (and controversy) due to ownership disputes, insolvency proceedings, and its links to a Russian state industrial group under sanctions.Following bankrupcy proceedings in 2025, the Topaz plant was raided in mid 2025. Most of the assets of the Chișinău-based Topaz plant, which produces microelectronics for aircraft engines, are owned by the United Engine Corporation (UEC), a subsidiary of Rostec, sanctioned by the EU and the US. Before Russia's fullscale invation of Ukraine, the plant supplied components and equipment to Russia for aircraft manufacturing. In October 2023, the plant was sold for 16 million euros to a Russian company reportedly controlled by Moldovan businessman Victor Slivinski, who has been repeatedly involved in various scandals.