German arms giant Rheinmetall on Sunday sought to calm the furor caused by its chief executive when compared Ukraine’s drone factories to “housewives” making weapons in their kitchens. AFP informs about it, writes TASR.
- The head of Rheinmetall compared Ukrainian drone manufacturers to housewives in the kitchen.
- Papperger described Ukraine’s drone production as putting together Legos without real innovation.
- Ukrainian representative Kamyshin emphasized the combat successes of drones against Russian tanks.
- Kamyshin declared that Ukrainian women work in the arms industry as well as men.
- After the criticism, Rheinmetall expressed great respect for Ukraine’s efforts and effective defense.
In an interview with the American magazine The Atlantic, published on Friday, Armin Papperger was asked about the development of drone technology in Ukraine, which is considered key to the country’s defense in the war with Russia. “It’s like playing with Legos,” said about unmanned machines and he compared the main Ukrainian producers to “housewives”. “They have 3D printers in the kitchen and make parts for drones,” he added, noting that “that’s not innovation.”
These words provoked a sharp reaction from Oleksandr Kamyshin, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who on the X platform drew attention to the successes of Ukrainian drones in the fight against Russian tanks. Kamyshin said that during visits to arms factories, he saw “Ukrainian women working just as well as men, often even just as skillfully.” “They are great housewives, but they have to work hard in military factories,” he said while addressing Rheinmetall that they “deserve respect”.
On Sunday, Rheinmetall tried to rectify the situation by reacting on the X social network. “We have the greatest respect for the enormous defense efforts of the Ukrainian people,” the company said, adding that “every woman and man in Ukraine contributes immensely to this.” “It is primarily the merit of Ukraine that it is fighting highly effectively even with limited resources,” the company continued in the post.
Rheinmetall experienced a boom after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which sparked an arms race in Europe. The company particularly benefited from increased defense spending in Germany, when Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised to turn the Bundeswehr into the largest conventional army in Europe.
