< p _ngcontent-sc100="" class="news-annotation">Poland is repairing artillery and heavy armored vehicles for the Ukrainian army. After the resumption of weapons, they return to the front line, where they help the defensemen defend the state from the Russians.
Repairs are carried out in a spacious factory complex. Hundreds of technicians are working around the clock on one of the biggest challenges of the war.
Poland is repairing equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The Wall Street Journal journalists visited a factory complex in Poland where they are restoring military equipment for the Ukrainian army. In particular, a workshop the size of a football field, where there were 3 AHS Krab cannons covered with bullet holes without tracks. Although they look like tanks, they are self-propelled 155mm howitzers.
Near the damaged howitzers is another “Crab”. However, it has been fully restored and is ready to return to Ukraine. The mechanics said that the repair of each car can take up to 2 months. The technicians who do this must go through many security checks before they are allowed to enter the factory in the city, which the journalists agreed not to disclose.
In addition to repair work in Poland, mechanics are in constant contact with technical specialists in Ukraine, many of whom were civilians before the war. Through encrypted programs, they are taught how to repair everything from tanks to ammunition.
This gun arrived here in the worst condition we have ever seen. She was missing the entire barrel, and the hull was badly damaged, – said engineer Miroslav Surovanets, pointing to the restored Crab howitzer – one of 10 repaired in recent months.
In Poland, they are restoring equipment for Ukraine/Photo by The Wall Street Journal
Poland is the leader in the maintenance of Ukrainian equipment
Maintenance and repair of ammunition is the main challenge in the war. The previously unreported scale of the Polish operation highlights the complexity of the maintenance problem, which will soon become even greater.
On Wednesday, the administration of US President Joseph Biden announced plans to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The United States has joined its European allies in sending up to 100 more German-made Leopard 2 tanks to our state.
Polish officials expect the Abrams to be repaired in Poznan, Poland. This will put the country at the forefront of the maintenance operation, which also includes the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria.
In addition, Poland will play an important role in the repair and maintenance of Leopards, since its defense industry has a large experience with these tanks.
It's safe to say that Poland is a leader in maintaining the equipment used by Ukrainians on the battlefield, said Tomasz Smura, a military technology expert at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, an independent think tank in Warsaw.
The problem of preserving Ukrainian weapons, including tanks, arises at a time when both Ukraine and Russia are planning offensive actions. Until that time, the Defense Forces had mainly used tanks from the Soviet era, such as the T-72, including those donated by the former Soviet states.
A year of intense hostilities caused great damage to tanks and artillery mounts, gun barrels who were bent from frequent shelling. To stay in service, the equipment needs not only repairs, but also spare parts and Soviet-caliber ammunition, which the West does not produce in significant quantities.
Only Poles work at the plant
The Crab howitzers are serviced at an enterprise owned by the Polish Armaments Group, a state-owned armaments company. The work of the shop is monitored by officers of the Agency for Homeland Security. Their task is to investigate potential sabotage that has affected arms factories in other countries, in particular in Bulgaria.
Each of the approximately 400 workers involved in assembly and production, as well as any visitor to the factory, must be a Polish citizen. The screening process for new employees, regardless of rank, can take several months.
Technical workers at the plant work in 3 shifts around the clock and are constantly in contact with Ukrainians on the battlefield. They exchange information on the best repair methods through encrypted messages and a special application that helps with troubleshooting. Polish mechanics said that they once used a messenger to teach a Ukrainian postman who became a soldier how to repair ammunition.
Sometimes mechanics find defenders' things inside the “crabs”: toothbrushes, food or family photos. Mechanic Dariusz Gavinek said that the repair of equipment made him more committed to helping the military.
Crabs come here with leaves, mud, sand, caterpillar branches stuck to the body. This is Ukrainian land. When I first got inside one of them, I was very impressed. – said the mechanic.
Polish officials said that the workshop could soon expand to repair and service equipment made abroad. However, the details are not yet disclosed.
