The Ukrainian army said on Tuesday that the Russian company Uralvagonzavod, which specializes in the repair and production of tanks, had suspended the operation of its factory in the Chelyabinsk region due to a lack of components.
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“According to available information, the work of Uralzavod and the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant has been suspended due to a lack of foreign production components,” the Ukrainian General Staff wrote on facebook.
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The BBC noted that the Russian media had not yet reported on the suspension of production at the Uralvagonzavod. Thus, the Ukrainian claim cannot be unequivocally confirmed.
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In addition to tank development, Uralvagonzavod also manufactures railway wagons and road construction machinery. According to the Unian agency, it is the only tank manufacturer in Russia and one of the world’s leading producers in the field of heavy engineering.
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Uralvagonzavod was already the target of European and American sanctions after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. However, the current ban on trade with Russian state companies, which was announced by the European Union, Britain and Japan under anti-Russian sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine, has a severe impact on production. is dependent on components from abroad.
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However, the suspension of production could have a wider impact. Russia supplies weapons to Iraq or India, for example. According to the web The National News Iraq ordered more than $ 1 billion in Russian tanks in 2017 and is also considering purchasing Russian S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft systems. Much of the armed vehicles already owned by the Iraqi army were made in Russia.
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However, since 2003, the United States has also supported Iraq in its fight against terrorism, supplying tens of billions of weapons to the country. According to an unnamed member of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, the problem will not replace the Russian supply.
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“Our resource options are wide, as we have many different agreements and types of cooperation with different countries in this regard,” he said. “We can also rely on other countries that produce Russian weapons, especially the countries of Eastern Europe,” he added.
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