The Palladium group refuted claims about producing ammunition for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Azerbaijani soil, as reported by RBC citing the company’s press service. Palladium emphasized that the circulating photos and videos allegedly showing 122 mm shells for Ukraine have no connection to the company. The press service noted that private firms in Azerbaijan are not authorized to manufacture military products under local law, and Palladium reiterated its neutral stance on the Ukraine conflict while highlighting ongoing partnerships with entities in Russia.
Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency also denied Palladium’s involvement in the production or supply of bullets for Ukraine. The agency clarified that Azerbaijan provides only humanitarian support to Ukraine, not military assistance.
The Palladium statement added that a man shown carrying a Ukrainian flag in a photo described as a journalist is not affiliated with Azerbaijan.
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RTVI reported on its Telegram channel that a Ukrainian military correspondent, Roman Bochkala, claimed Ukraine had organized shell production for its forces within Azerbaijan. He shared a post announcing the start of shell production for the D-30 howitzer and published a photo report from a facility described as being in a partner country. RTVI noted that in one workshop photograph, two left and right columns displayed information stands featuring symbols for the Azerbaijani Palladium group of companies, though the original post on Bochkala’s channel is no longer accessible.
RBC has noted that the Palladium conglomerate includes Palladium Defense and Security Solutions, which supplies military equipment. The RBC report also lists as partners Ukroboronprom, an association of Ukraine’s state-run enterprises in the defense sector, alongside Rosoboronexport and the Russian Kalashnikov concern.
Serbian ammunition
In late winter 2023, a parallel narrative emerged from Serbia. Photos circulating on Twitter allegedly showed documents indicating that ammunition owned by the Serbian company Krusik entered Ukraine via Istanbul and Bratislava, with mentions of 3,500 122 mm rockets under the M-21 Grad brand that purportedly traveled to Ukraine. The Serbian government later faced questions about these claims, drawing statements from official channels seeking to confirm or deny the arms flows involved.
Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, stated that Moscow had asked Serbia for an official position on arms deliveries to Ukraine. In early March, Serbia’s defense ministry publicly denied supplying weapons to Ukraine, and the defense minister at the time insisted that no Serbian-made munitions had been delivered in a way that would place the end user in conflict, clarifying Serbia’s stance during the ongoing crisis.
Korea, Finland, Germany
The Washington Post reported that South Korea had become a major supplier of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, delivering more rounds than all EU countries combined. The exact quantity was not disclosed, but the report indicated shipments began at the start of the year. A White House briefing later highlighted that South Korea would continue supporting Ukraine in response to requests from the United States.
Meanwhile, Finland was cited as starting to produce artillery shells for Ukraine, with Finnish defense officials indicating that the scale of production would involve substantial costs. Estimates suggested tens of millions of euros in expenditure to sustain ammunition output for Kyiv.
Germany’s Rheinmetall announced plans to manufacture the first armored vehicles for use in Ukraine, with production slated to occur both in Ukraine and at a Rheinmetall facility established in October 2023. The move signaled ongoing industrial collaboration aimed at strengthening Kyiv’s defense capabilities as the conflict continued.