Kamaz truck at the Russian military parade Russia’s largest truck maker, Kamaz, will start producing vehicles in Myanmar as the company increasingly loses access to other markets due to sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine conflict. Representatives of Kamaz met with the junta leadership in Myanmar on April 27 to discuss the establishment of a manufacturing plant for civilian and military trucks in the country, Russian state news agency Interfax said, citing a Myanmar Ministry of Defense press release. Investment and foreign economic relations. A manufacturing…
Russia’s largest truck maker, Kamaz, will start producing vehicles in Myanmar as the company increasingly loses access to other markets due to sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine conflict.
According to the Russian state news agency, Kamaz representatives met with the junta leadership in Myanmar on April 27 to discuss the establishment of a manufacturing plant for civilian and military trucks in the country International fax Among them is a press release from the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations of Myanmar.
The two parties are expected to reach a manufacturing agreement as early as next month.
Kamaz general manager Sergei Kogokin met with Myanmar Army Chief of Staff Min Aung Hlaing and Junta Investment Minister Aung Nai Ou, the report said. Members of several Russian companies that had previous contacts with the Myanmar military were also present.
“A full range of options”
The truck-maker giant is considering “a full range of options, from vehicle manufacturing to personnel training and developing a service network. We are ready to form a proposal and submit it for signature by June,” the press release said.
Kamaz has been working with Myanmar since 2016 and was appointed as a truck, parts and service dealer in 2017. Kamaz delivered four Kamaz-6460 tractors to the commercial customer segment in 2019, with an overall plan to deliver 20 tractors as part of a contract with the dealer. Kamaz delivered seven Kamaz-43266 flatbed trucks in 2020.
The Burmese army is also one of Kamaz’s clients. One of the company’s signature trucks is a vehicle that can be fitted with a surface-to-air missile launcher known as the Pantsir-S1. In January 2021, a month before the coup, the Myanmar army ordered two Pantsir-S1s during Russia’s official visit to Myanmar. They are expected to arrive next year.
Advocacy groups warn of military support by Myanmar’s junta
“Increasing access to military vehicle and truck manufacturing capabilities will aid the Myanmar military’s terrorist operations,” Justice Myanmar said.
Russia’s state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec holds a 49.9 percent stake in Kamaz, whose trucks were used in the country’s recent invasion of Ukraine. Moscow-based private transport company Avto-Invest holds a 20.81 percent stake, while the third-largest shareholder is Germany’s Daimler AG with a 15 percent stake.
