An explosion at an ammunition plant owned by Rheinmetall’s subsidiary, Expal Munitions, in the southeastern Spanish town of Javali Viejo, left six workers injured on Thursday. One worker is reported to be in serious condition following the incident.
Details from emergency services indicate that the injuries ranged from burns to contusions and smoke inhalation. A 52-year-old man sustained a traumatic brain injury and was among the five individuals hospitalized.
The factory, part of Expal Munitions since its acquisition by the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall in August 2023 for $1.3 billion, specializes in producing various munitions, including aerial bombs, mortar rounds, and, notably, 155mm artillery shells for Ukraine from the EU. Expal Munitions operates seven facilities across Spain, though specifics on which ones produce munitions for Ukraine remain undisclosed.
Rheinmetall has seen substantial orders related to the ongoing Ukraine conflict. In December 2023, the company secured a €142 million contract for 155mm ammunition from a NATO partner nation, with production slated for its Spanish facilities.
In late December 2024, another deal followed for tens of thousands of 155mm artillery propellant charge modules destined for Ukraine.
With a market cap of around $34 billion, the German company has significantly increased its profits, nearly doubling by the first half of 2024, thanks to the surge in demand for weapons, including Leopard tanks and air defence systems, all supplied to Ukraine.
In a related development, Rheinmetall announced plans to establish four arms factories in Ukraine, with the first already operational by October 2024.
This move has been met with tension, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that these facilities would be considered ”legitimate targets” by the Russian military.
The incident in Murcia adds to the contentious backdrop of Western military involvement in Ukraine, with Russia criticizing the support for fueling the military-industrial complex at the cost of European and American taxpayer money and Ukrainian lives. Moscow asserts that such military aid will not alter the conflict’s outcome but merely prolong the hostilities.
This explosion not only raises safety concerns but also highlights the geopolitical implications of arms production in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Russia warned Rheinmetall in October 2024
RT wrote on 29 October 2024 that Moscow would treat the new Rheinmetall arms factory in Ukraine the same way it treats all other defence facilities in the country, regardless of its ownership by Germany’s largest defence contractor.
Rheinmetall announced in 2024 that it had opened a plant in Ukraine. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger announced at the factory’s opening that the first factory is set to be one of four in Ukraine. He explained that the new location will service infantry vehicles and tanks.
Related
- Deutsche Welle: Spain: Explosion at Rheinmetall munitions factory injures 6
- RT: German arms giant’s Ukraine plant ‘a legitimate target’