UVZ: "Ensuring The Country's Defenses"

While the whole (democratic) world is horrified by the brutal and reckless Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched on 24 February 2022, the Russian citizens are expressing support for their president in various places. For example, Uralvagonzavod (UVZ, Uralsky wagon plant), which produces military equipment in addition to wagons and railway equipment and which has been described as the largest tank manufacturer in the world, published the following press release on its website on 4 March 2022, titled Ensuring the country's defenses, which we reprint without modification: 

"Uralvagonzavod personnel expressed words of support to the people of Donbass and Russian soldiers who are doing their duty these days in the name of peace and stability. UVZ workers support the policy of President Vladimir Putin - they spoke about this at a meeting of employees at the Workshop 130, which was attended by UVZ Director General Alexander Potapov and Executive Director Vladimir Roshchupkin. The meeting discussed the introduction of new sanctions against UVZ by Western countries.

In his speech, Alexander Potapov said that the enterprise has a glorious history: from the earliest days, wagons were produced here, and in 1941 the production of tanks began. Today the works produce modern special equipment and innovative civilian products. He also pointed out that UVZ has been under sanctions for eight years and during this time the enterprise has completely abandoned imported components.When the first sanctions were announced in 2014, we quickly coped with them and managed everything we needed at home. And we even increased the volume of civilian and military products! Therefore, the sanctions in turn stimulated our production.

Oleg Belousov, repair foreman at the assembly shop, also noted that he did not feel the impact of the 2014 sanctions and is not worried about new restrictions: We will continue working as before. The work has not diminished. There was and is stability, confidence in the future, and that is the most important thing. I have been working at UVZ for 11 years. It is a sign that I like everything here. I like the prospects, the attitude of managers and the support of colleagues. I am very grateful that fate brought me to this workshop. I know that tomorrow I will go back to work, that my family will not need anything.

Lyubov Zueva, an assembler from Workshop 130, thanked the President of the Russian Federation for a difficult but correct decision. I would never have thought that this would happen in the country for which our grandfathers fought. We, Russians and Ukrainians, are the descendants of the victors. Our plant was established during the war when the Kharkov steam locomotive plant (Kharkovsky parovozostroitelny zavod) was evacuated to Nizhny Tagil. Many people of different nationalities worked there, including Ukrainians. After the victory, many stayed behind. 

It is painful for their children and grandchildren to see what is happening in Ukraine now. With the support of America and Europe, the Nazis are deliberately liquidating the civilian population in front of the eyes of the whole world. It is difficult to stop this. We are grateful to our military, which is now preventing World War III. We support our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin in his difficult decision, which he has made consciously and purposefully. We look boldly to the future and see our country strong, invincible and free."

The press release was accompanied by a group photo of appropriately indignant and determined-looking comrades on the shop floor. However, the latter did not have sufficient quality, so we present another image, from a December press release announcing that UVZ had completed the upgrade of another batch of T72B tanks to the Type T72BM, some of which are pictured being taken off the factory on 15 December 2021.