For over a year, the company ‘Metinvest’ has been producing weapon replicas for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Externally, they closely resemble the originals and are necessary to draw fire towards themselves instead of real equipment.
Source: NV.
‘Metinvest’ began producing HIMARS models to deceive the enemy
The most in-demand items on the front lines are replicas of Soviet howitzers and radar systems. But, upon the military’s request, they are also manufacturing pseudo-HIMARS—a U.S. multiple rocket launcher system.
“The military approached us. They came and asked if it’s possible to create models that would help us deceive the enemy or create false positions. Currently, our main production includes Soviet howitzers D-20, D-30, and American models such as the M777 howitzers. Also, several types of radar stations and EW systems,’ recalled the director of ‘Metinvest,’ Alexander Mironenko, regarding the start of model production.
He confessed that there are several HIMARS model instances currently on the front line that are impossible to distinguish from the real ones. The point is that the ‘Metinvest’ model is not just a decoration but a functioning mechanism.
Our models even move and change positions. And they look like real vehicles, performing their function,” says Mironenko.
He also admitted that the locations where the models are produced are kept secret and placed outside the company’s premises to maintain maximum secrecy and ensure the safety of the workers.
What do we know about the company “Metinvest”?
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, “Metinvest” has directed 4 billion hryvnias to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian people. Of this amount, over 2 billion hryvnias are contributions to the fighters within Rinat Akhmetov’s ‘Steel Front’ initiative.
The company has also started producing mine-clearing equipment for the Ukrainian military vehicles: these are mounted on tanks and used for demining territories, ensuring the safety of the soldiers.