Uganda has received military equipment worth $53 million from the Russian Federation, in what President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni described as a gesture of “ideological and strategic friendship.”
The equipment was handed over as Uganda commissioned the Military Mechanised Major Repair Facility at Gaddafi Military Barracks in Magamaga, alongside a new workshop under construction in Entebbe.
Speaking at the launch, President Museveni expressed deep appreciation to President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government for their continued military support and cooperation.
“I want to thank President Putin for the military support; this support is beneficial,” Museveni said. “What the Russians have done is just a glimpse of the good things they have achieved. Russia is a historic and very good friend of Africa.”
The new repair facility is designed to strengthen Uganda’s ability to maintain and overhaul armored vehicles and other military equipment locally, reducing the country’s dependence on external service providers and lowering maintenance costs.
Defense experts note that this development reflects Russia’s expanding engagement with African nations through defense technology transfer, equipment donations, and training partnerships, rather than direct military involvement.
The donation also reinforces Uganda’s historical ties with Moscow, which date back to the Cold War era, and underscores President Museveni’s commitment to maintaining diversified strategic and defense partnerships in a rapidly shifting global order.
