Saratov's Industrial Generals Fight for Reforms and Want To Turn the Shadow Economy Into a Normal Economy

This document is a press report from August 13, 1993, detailing a meeting in Saratov between regional industrial leaders and Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin. The primary focus of the report is the push for radical market reforms within the region's industrial sector to transition from a 'shadow economy' to a 'normal economy.' A significant portion of the text highlights the efforts of Aleksandr Yermishin, the general director of a local aviation plant. Yermishin is noted for having developed a new aircraft design that is described as being 'reminiscent of a fantastic flying saucer.' The report confirms that this machine has been constructed in metal and is currently undergoing preparations for series production, with plans to join the 'Boeing' company. The broader context of the article concerns the struggle of defense enterprises to survive in the post-Soviet economic landscape, with Yermishin proposing a mechanism for collaboration between the U.S. and Russian governments to convert these enterprises and secure their future.