We Would Solely Produce Ukrainian HIMARS – Martin Brest, Ukroboronprom.

In an exclusive interview with Kyiv Post, Martin Brest (Oleh Boldyrev) described the workings of state-owned Ukroboronprom, a strategic manufacturer of weapons and military hardware in Ukraine, during the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Ukroboronprom is an association of multi-product enterprises (conglomerate or Concern) in various sectors of the defense industry of Ukraine.

The Concern includes 118 enterprises that operate in the development, manufacture, sale, repair, modernization, and disposal of weapons, military, and special equipment and ammunition and participate in military-technical cooperation with foreign states. The organization has the functions of strategic planning, interaction with public authorities, and coordination with divisions.

Ukroboronprom works to produce a range of weapons and military equipment – because Ukraine manufactures a certain number of weapons, this range is not requested from foreign allies by the Ukrainian leaders.

“If we get a task to drop everything and produce Ukrainian HIMARS, then we will. Maybe there is such a task, but I don’t know about it.” Brest stated.

He also noted that the number of weapons and their nomenclature is so huge that it would be necessary to inflate staff tenfold. Ukraine’s economy has been halved due to the war, so Ukroboronprom is also shrinking. A balance needs to be found between funding opportunities and production opportunities.

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The US-supplied HIMARS MLRS are having a noticeable impact on the situation in the war in Ukraine, allowing its army to strike Russian targets deep behind the front lines.

The US began supplying HIMARS to Ukraine in June as the Russian Federation advanced its offensive in the Donbas using devastating artillery strikes. HIMARS has become a valuable tool for the Ukrainian military, which claims to have carried out dozens of strikes against Russian targets, including air defense systems and ammunition depots.