The first armoured vehicle repair and production workshop in Ukraine has been opened as part of the partnership between UOP and global defence giant Rheinmetall.

The main purpose of the new site is to repair and manufacture German-made military equipment. This will accelerate the restoration of combat vehicles and their return to the front line, and subsequently allow the production of new equipment for the Security and Defence Forces of Ukraine by Ukrainian armourers.

"We strive to develop our production capabilities together with our allies and believe that Ukrainian defence is part of the European defence industry, which strengthens the EU's collective security system. Therefore, the opening of a joint production site with Rheinmetall is not only a step towards Ukraine's victory, but also an important stage in building the arsenal of the Free World,’ said Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine.

"The opening of the first joint service centre with Rheinmetall in Ukraine is extremely important for strengthening our defence capabilities. It will allow us to provide fast repair and maintenance of German equipment directly in Ukraine, which will significantly increase the efficiency of our Armed Forces. We are grateful to our German partners for their trust and support, which enable us to move confidently towards victory and integrate into the European collective security system,’ said Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Dmytro Klimenkov.

Ukrainian specialists work at the joint production site, while representatives of the German partner provide technical supervision.

"The development of partnership with such a leading global arms manufacturer as Rheinmetall demonstrates the high level of trust that Ukroboronprom has gained from its Western colleagues. Such trust is the result of hard work to develop the competencies of our weapons manufacturers, implementation of corporate governance reform and successful work on building anti-corruption infrastructure. All of this together makes the Company and its enterprises competitive, transparent and attractive to foreign partners,’ said David Lomdzharia, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of UOP.

"This project, implemented as part of a large programme of cooperation with Rheinmetall, creates new opportunities for our defenders, who will receive equipment for combat after repair and maintenance as quickly as possible. It is important that this is happening in Ukraine: our foreign partners are confident in us, our professionalism and the high potential of the national defence industry. I am grateful to the management of the German concern for the fruitful cooperation that allowed us to equip and open a joint production site in a short time,’ said UOP Director General German Smetanin.

"It is very important for us to provide Ukraine with effective and reliable support. When it comes to the supply of spare parts, our top priority is to ensure maximum availability and rapid replenishment of stocks. To achieve this goal, we use existing channels of original manufacturers, process the material ourselves and with partners. We are also restoring the original supply chains and integrating local production in Ukraine,’ says Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG.

RHEINMETALL UKRAINIAN DEFENCE INDUSTRY LLC (RHEINMETALL UDI) was registered in Ukraine on 18 October 2023.