German arms giant to repair damaged tanks in Ukraine

German arms giant Rheinmetall has planned to repair Kiev's tanks damaged and lost in the war against Russia in Ukraine.

Earlier reports had said Rheinmetall was in talks to invest some $212 million in building a tank factory in Ukraine.

In March, the German arms manufacturer said it had plans to build a factory on the ex-Soviet country's territory where it would build the company's latest Panther battle tanks models.

"A Rheinmetall plant can be set up in Ukraine for around 200 million euros ($212.64 million), which can produce up to 400 Panthers a year," the Rheinische Post reported, quoting Rheinmetall's CEO Armin Papperger.

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"Talks with the Ukrainian government are promising and I hope for a decision in the next two months," Papperger added.

In addition to Panther tanks, Rheinmetall manufactures ammunition, military equipment, and also the Leopard tanks that Germany decided to send to Ukraine, which the company produces jointly with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.

The Ukrainians currently do not have enough equipment to fully retake their territory, Papperger stressed.

Back in early March, Papperger said Ukraine needed 600 to 800 tanks and the construction of new tanks must start quickly to achieve that number.

However, he told Der Spiegel magazine on Friday there were security concerns associated with the project and instead Rheinmetall will undertake the repairs of the Leopard tanks that Germany has already sent to Ukraine.

He said the German company is “already training Ukrainians in Germany for this job,” adding that “We want to start operations after the summer break.”

The German businessman refrained to say where in Ukraine the facility will be located.

Presently, German Leopard 2 battle tanks can only be repaired outside Ukraine, and the proposed center will reduce the distance that damaged tanks have to be transported, the report said.

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In the meantime, Russian officials have warned Germany against such a move.

Ex-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who now serves as deputy head of the country’s Security Council, wrote on social media in March, “If [the] Krauts still go on with it for real, they’re very welcome.” “The decision should be greeted with fireworks by Kalibrs and other Russian pyrotechnic devices.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said earlier this month, that “such a plant, if it is built, will be a legitimate target for the Russian forces on par with any other object of the Ukrainian defense industry.”

EU countries, alongside the United States, have supplied Kiev with tens of billions of dollars of weapons, munitions, and other military equipment, including dozens of Leopard 2 main battle tanks.

In the run-up to Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive, which started in early June, Kiev filled its caches with all sorts of military equipment.

However, it lost a large portion of the Western-supplied arms munitions, and a number of German tanks were also destroyed in the war against Russian forces.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that Ukraine had lost 15 Leopard 2s along with other Western hardware in a single day in a failed attempt to advance.

In late June, Die Welt revealed that Rheinmetall had made huge profits amid the conflict in Ukraine.

The news outlet said the Dusseldorf-based arms manufacturer received 18 percent more orders in 2022, compared to 2021.

Rheinmetall is now planning to increase production significantly while expecting double-digit sales growth in the coming years, it reported.

Russia has warned the West against arming Kiev, saying it would only add to the losses.

In February 2022, Moscow launched its military campaign in eastern Ukraine to aid the persecuted Russian-speaking population there and stop NATO's eastward encroachment towards its borders.

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