The UK Ministry of Defence has acknowledged the presence of military equipment maintenance and overhaul facilities operating in Ukraine. According to the ministry, four such sites are currently functioning, and plans are underway to open a fifth.

According to the British defence department, the facilities operate under agreements with the Ministry of Defence and are managed by British companies. Engineers from both the United Kingdom and Ukraine are working at the sites. Their primary role is to repair armored vehicles and military equipment, including systems previously supplied to Kyiv by the UK.

Among the equipment serviced at these facilities are CVR-T armored personnel carriers, Husky armored vehicles, L119 light howitzers, AS-90 artillery systems, and other weapons and military hardware.

The British ministry noted that placing these repair sites inside Ukraine significantly speeds up the restoration of damaged equipment and allows it to be returned to Ukrainian armed forces much faster.

It was also reported that UK Deputy Defence Secretary Luke Pollard visited one of the facilities earlier this week. A delegation of British business representatives also traveled to Ukraine together with Pollard, joined by companies from several other European countries. The exact locations of the repair sites have not been disclosed.

Russia has repeatedly stated that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine hinder the prospects for a political settlement and directly involve NATO countries in the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that any shipments containing weapons for Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets. The Kremlin has also warned that continued Western arms supplies do not contribute to negotiations and could have negative consequences.