The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall took over the Oerlikon weapons factory in Switzerland in 1999. The Rheinmetall Air Defence division is still based in Zurich.
Some of the armaments it produces are manufactured at a factory near to Rome.
It now appears that some of these weapons have been shipped to Ukraine. A Rheinmetall spokesperson told the SonntagZeitung that parts of the Skynex system are made in Italy, but would not confirm if they have been delivered to Ukraine.
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Swiss ‘could lose military contracts’ over re-export restrictions
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Switzerland’s stance on the re-export of arms to Ukraine makes it a less reliable supplier of military hardware to European partners.
However, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Schmihal stated over the Telegram social media this week that the anti-aircraft system had reached the war-torn country. “Such batteries are already in combat use in Ukraine,” he wrote.
Previous attempts to export Italy-produced Oerlikon weapons to countries like Thailand and Egypt were turned down by the Swiss authorities.
But Rheinmetall has apparently found a way around the restrictions.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), the department responsible for monitoring weapons exports, told the newspaper that an article of the War Materiel Act allowed the transfer of ‘know-how’ from Switzerland to some other countries, including Italy.
“The transfer of know-how from Switzerland to Italy can therefore take place without a permit,” said a Seco spokesperson.
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Ukrainian President Zelensky to address Swiss parliament
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Swiss ‘could lose military contracts’ over re-export restrictions
This content was published on
Switzerland's stance on the re-export of arms to Ukraine makes it a less reliable supplier of military hardware to European partners.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.