Ukraine starts producing shells for its Soviet-era tanks
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Ukrainian soldiers driving a T-72 tank on the outskirts of Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, in December 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
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KYIV – A major Ukrainian arms manufacturer announced on Tuesday that it had started making 125mm rounds for its Soviet-era tanks, as Kyiv seeks to boost its armour capabilities for a counter-offensive against invading Russian forces.
The ammunition was being made outside Ukraine with the cooperation of an unnamed Nato country, state-owned Ukroboronprom said.
“The first batch of 125mm projectiles for T-64, T-72 and T-80 tanks, which the security and defence forces of Ukraine use to strike the invaders, has already been delivered,” it said in a post on the Telegram app.
It said the shells had been made to fulfil an order from Ukraine’s Defence Ministry. Although the shells were made abroad, Ukrainian personnel participated in the manufacturing process, Ukroboronprom said.
While Western-made battle tanks donated by allies will soon enter service with Ukraine’s armed forces, the bulk of Kyiv’s tank fleet will remain Soviet-made in the short term.
This creates an acute need for new sources of ammunition supply, as most Nato tanks use a different calibre, while the vast majority of 125mm-round stocks are held by Russia and other countries that would not supply Ukraine.
Kyiv’s wider drive to produce its own ammunition comes as many of its Western allies feel the pinch in their own limited stockpiles after supplying Ukraine for more than a year as it fights off Russia’s invasion.
Ukroboronprom said this is the second type of munition which it had started to make in cooperation with a Nato member state.
In February, it announced the start of joint production of 120mm mortar rounds, again with an unnamed Nato partner. REUTERS
