UK Reveals Military Maintenance Sites in Ukraine for First Time

March 9 ------ The UK has revealed details of four maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities in Ukraine, tasked with repairing armored vehicles and equipment such as UK-gifted CVR-T armored vehicles, Husky support vehicles, AS-90 artillery systems, L119 light guns, and former Soviet-era kit. A collaboration with Swedish partners also means that the sites can support the Swedish Archer artillery systems.

The facilities – operated under UK Ministry of Defense contracts by UK companies – aim to return the restored equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) quickly, as well as providing well-paid engineering jobs for Ukrainians. “British engineers are on the ground in Ukraine, working side-by-side with Ukrainian counterparts to service and repair military vehicles,” the UK government said in a March 7 bulletin. It is understood that no British military personnel are present.

Minister for Defense Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard, visited one of the sites in Ukraine earlier this week. Pollard said: “While the world’s attention is focused on conflict across the Middle East, the UK is standing firmer with our friends in Ukraine. Visits to Ukraine have always been deeply poignant for me – the UK will never waver in our support for Ukraine, and we are clear that Ukraine’s security is Britain’s security.”

In an article about the facilities published by British newspaper The Guardian, Pollard is quoted as acknowledging the risks involved in having the facility inside Ukraine, but that it is a “risk worth taking and managing” in the interest of support for Kyiv. The facilities – described as “pioneering” – are not only aimed at supporting the AFU in the fight against Russia’s aggression but also at boosting long-term industrial production in Ukraine, in partnership with Ukrainian companies, to benefit both nations.

In a March 6 article, the British Defense Journal said that the UK has been working to establish the repair infrastructure since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, stating, “Locating maintenance and overhaul facilities inside the country allows damaged equipment to be repaired locally rather than being transported abroad, reducing repair timelines and returning vehicles to Ukrainian units more quickly.”

The UK and Ukraine signed an agreement for the latest project under Program Lyra, the unique UK/Ukraine technology exchange agreed by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Volodymyr Zelensky in June 2025. The agreement will see the two nations collaborate on sophisticated UK electronic warfare technology, combining it with Ukrainian platforms to improve Ukraine’s military capability. Since Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UK has committed over £21.8 billion for Ukraine, making the UK one of Ukraine’s largest bilateral donors.

Source: kyivpost.com