Britain disclosed on Saturday that it had four facilities operating in Ukraine to carry out repair and maintenance work for armoured vehicles and other military equipment being used in the war with Russia.
The facilities, which had not previously been divulged, were set up using both British and Ukrainian workers and operated under contracts issued by Britain’s defence ministry.
“From the factory floor to the frontline, the UK is standing with Ukraine,” Luke Pollard, Britain’s Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said in a statement.
“Our pioneering facilities are helping keep Ukraine’s defiant armed forces in the fight against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brutal attacks, and British firms are boosting long-term industrial production in Ukraine and partnering with Ukrainian companies to benefit both our nations.”
Britain has been one of Ukraine’s closest allies since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022, having committed more than 21.8 billion pounds ($29.2 billion) of support to Kyiv.
The British defence ministry said that as part of their work, the four facilities in Ukraine were repairing CVR-T armoured vehicles, Husky support vehicles, L119 light guns and AS-90 artillery systems, which Britain had donated.
A fifth facility was also being planned, it said.
