Omanghana
Uganda has commissioned military facilities and equipment provided through a $53 million Russian assistance program aimed at strengthening the Uganda People’s Defense Forces’ maintenance, training and operational capabilities.
President Yoweri Museveni inaugurated the facilities on October 21 and 22, 2026, during a visit by a Russian military delegation led by Lieutenant General Aleksandr Kshimovskii. The programme fulfils defence cooperation commitments and follows Russia’s delivery of six Mi-28 attack helicopters to Uganda four years earlier.
Among the projects is a centre for repairing heavy mechanised equipment at the Gaddafi Military Barracks in Magamaga, Jinja. The facility is intended to improve the military’s capacity to service its equipment locally and keep vehicles ready for deployment.
The assistance also covers marine infrastructure in Entebbe, including a maintenance workshop and storage facilities to support security operations on Lake Victoria. Patrol boats were supplied as part of the broader package.
At Kalama in Mubende District, digital training facilities and simulators have been established to strengthen practical instruction for military personnel. These include equipment for training crews to operate BRDM-2MS armoured vehicles.
Additional operational support includes trench diggers, obstacle-clearing vehicles and mobile workshops, expanding the UPDF’s engineering and field maintenance resources.
The projects build on Uganda’s longstanding defence relationship with Moscow. The East African country operates a range of Russian and Soviet-designed weapons, including Su-30MK2 fighter jets, T-90S and T-72 tanks, and Mi-series transport and attack helicopters.
Uganda’s cooperation with Russia has centred on equipment purchases, technical training and military infrastructure. It differs from arrangements in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where personnel from Russia’s Africa Corps are deployed.
Museveni has also called for greater emphasis on technology transfer and domestic weapons production. His position signals an ambition to use continued cooperation with Russia to develop Uganda’s defense manufacturing capacity and reduce dependence on imported military equipment.
Source: Omanghana
