Ukraine has established the production of small arms ammunition under a Czech license.

Herman Smetanin, the Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine, stated this.

“During the meeting, in the presence of Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, and Oleksandr Kamyshin, Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Strategic Affairs, several important documents were signed. These documents specifically concerned the supply of components for the localized production of small arms ammunition and the assembly of Bren-2 assault rifles,” he stated.

The first mention of plans for cooperation between Ukraine and the Czech Republic in the field of small arms ammunition production came in April 2023. At that time, Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, stated that the Czech defense industry had prepared six cooperation projects with Ukraine.

These projects involved the production of ammunition and small arms, the repair of T-64 and T-72 tanks, and the joint production of F/A-259 aircraft by Aero Vodochody. Specifically, one of the potential cooperation options mentioned was the company Sellier & Bellot, which specializes in manufacturing small arms ammunition.

In July 2023, during a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, memoranda of cooperation were signed between Ukraine’s defense industry and the Czech companies CZUB, which manufactures small arms, and Sellier & Bellot.

In July 2024, an agreement was signed between the Ukroboronservice and Sellier & Bellot companies. According to the agreement, a new ammunition factory would be built in Ukraine.

Ammunition production in Ukraine

After the Russian occupation of the Luhansk Ammunition Factory in 2014, Ukroboronprom lost its capabilities for producing small arms ammunition. Since then, ammunition has been produced only by a small private company, while officials have promised every year to restore ammunition production at the state level.

The construction of a new ammunition factory was initially planned for 2016. In the summer of 2017, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) initiated the allocation of UAH 1.4 billion to purchase equipment and construct an ammunition production plant. However, the factory was never actually built.

In 2018, a full-cycle production line for pistol ammunition for the Ministry of Internal Affairs was launched at the Vinnytsia-based Research and Production Company Fort.

In November 2023, it was announced that funding for developing Ukraine’s defense industry production capacities, including ammunition production, had been significantly increased.

In September 2024, photographs of Ukrainian-made 5.45×39 mm and 5.56×45 mm ammunition produced for the Ukrainian army were published. However, it is unlikely that these rounds were manufactured at the “Czech” facility, as the markings suggest they were produced in June 2024—before the agreement on building the ammunition factory with Sellier & Bellot was signed.

In September, the American company D&M Holding Company opened an ammunition production plant in Ukraine. Specific details about the types of ammunition being produced at this facility are unknown. However, there is a high likelihood that the new plant will manufacture rifle ammunition in 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm calibers.

It should be noted that D&M is not the company that will control ammunition production, but was only responsible for constructing the facility and setting up the production.

Therefore, it can be assumed that as of March 2025, there are at least several different ammunition factories in Ukraine.