Ukraine claims that Russia can’t build or repair tanks any more because Western sanctions deprived it of components
Russia’s largest tank manufacturer, Uralvagonzavod, has halted production because of supply shortages, according to Ukraine’s state media and Ukrainian armed forces.
The Kyiv Independent writes that Uralvagonzavod has stopped operations in its Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant in west-central Russia because of the lack of component parts supplied from foreign countries.
Ukrainian officials claimed on Monday that Russia is unable to repair ts tanks or make new ones because of the impact of international sanctions.
The two companies, Uralzavod Corporation and Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, “specialize in the manufacture and repair of tanks and other armored vehicles for the needs of the armed forces of the Russian Federation,” the Ukrainian post said.
The state-owned Uralzavod is Russia’s sole military tank manufacturer, according to the European Union. The bloc announced sanctions against a raft of Russian entities, including the company, on March 15. The modern T-72B3 tank produced there has been deployed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the bloc said.
The claim was initially made by a report of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and confirmed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on March 21, according to The Kyiv Independent.
Uralvagonzavod had his assets frozen in the U.K. on February 24 and was hit by European Union sanctions on March 15.
The company was added to the EU’s list of sanctioned Russian companies because “the T-72B3 tanks delivered by Uralvagonzavod to the Russian Armed Forces were used by Russia during the illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” the EU document reads.
The EU concluded that Uralvagonzavod is responsible for “supporting, materially or financially, actions which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”
Uralvagonzavod has been a subject of U.S. sanctions since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
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