Even after more than two years, Rheinmetall's plant in Ukraine has not yet begun construction.

In July 2024, German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall was awarded a contract by the Ukrainian government to build an artillery ammunition production plant in Ukraine.

Production was supposed to start within 24 months, i.e. by summer 2026 at the latest, but construction of the plant has not yet begun, according to the Defense Express portal.

In August 2025, Rheinmetall publicly stated that the reason for the delay was Ukrainian bureaucracy. A few months later, the company revised its explanation, saying that the Ukrainian side had decided to change the planned location of the plant. At the time, the group's management expressed its conviction that once the location issue had been resolved, it would be possible to build and commission the plant within 12 months.

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger has now confirmed to the Ukrinform agency that the location has been selected, but organizational and regulatory issues still need to be resolved.

Rheinmetall has been able to build similar plants much faster in other countries—in Germany and Hungary in approximately 15 to 18 months.

Since more than two and a half years have passed since the signing of the contract with Ukraine without any real progress, the plant could, in the best-case scenario, become operational in 2027.

(est)