Ukraine to invest in ammo production in 2024
In 2024, Ukraine will allocate funds for the development of cartridge production capabilities. This was told by Herman Smetanin, General Director of the Ukroboronprom State Concern. According to him, in 2024, seven times more funds will be allocated from the budget for the development, modernization, and development of the defense industry than in 2023.
"Some of these funds will go to the development of capabilities for the production of cartridges," said German Smetanin. Herman Smetanin explained that cartridges' production exists in Ukraine. However, they aren't produced by local companies, and production quantities are insufficient.
Illustrative photo with the production of cartridges
Taras Chmut, Head of the Come Back Alive Foundation, also added that Ukrainian representatives are studying the foreign production of cartridges for possible localization.
"In October, I went with a non-state (not with government representatives - ed.) to one of the European countries to see their production of cartridges to study the possibilities of localization in Ukraine," said Taras Chmut. After the Russian occupation of the Luhansk Cartridge Plant in 2014, Ukroboronprom lost its cartridge production capacity. Since then, only one small private enterprise has produced cartridges, although officials each year are promising to resume cartridge production at the state level.
Luhansk Cartridge Plant.
Ukraine. Photo credits: ostro.org
The construction of a new cartridge plant was planned for 2016. In the summer of 2017, the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council initiated the allocation of UAH 1.4 billion for the purchase of equipment and the construction of an ammunition factory.
In 2018, the Vinnytsia Fort plant launched a full-cycle line for the production of pistols' cartridges for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Production of cartridges at the Fort plant.
2018. Ukraine. Photo credits: Ministry of Internal Affairs
Currently, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are being actively equipped with cartridges by the United States and other allies, who transfer millions of small arms cartridges to the package.
Recently, the United States handed over to Ukraine a batch of confiscated Iranian cartridges.