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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Daniel Boffey in Ukraine

The Ukraine repair shop: where Russian tanks go to change sides

Engineers work on modifying and fixing tanks and armoured personnel carriers in a secret warehouse.
Engineers work on modifying and fixing tanks and armoured personnel carriers in a secret warehouse. Photograph: Ed Ram/The Guardian

The first task is to wipe off or cover up the Z, says Anatoly, 44, of the call sign infamously daubed on Russian hardware involved in the war in Ukraine. “We don’t want friendly fire later on.” Then the mechanics get to work.

In a secret location in Ukraine, within a vast warehouse that could be mistaken for a tank graveyard, what was once Russian – Soviet, in many cases – is being turned Ukrainian.

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