Baltic States – CIS, Good for Business, Investments, Latvia, Railways, Transport

The broadcast reported that Uralvagonzavod entered Latvia as a world-class rail freight car manufacturer – without mentioning military engineering and tank manufacturing.

Uralvagonzavod in Latvia is represented by UVZ Baltija, which is registered in Riga and owned by the Luxembourg company UVZ International. Uralvagonzavod is its owner. "Neka personiga" revealed that UVZ Baltija has purchased a manor in Mezaparks for EUR 1.3 million, bet the factory will be located on the territory of the former Jelgava Sugar Refinery, at a cost of EUR 1.36 million. Originally, EUR 30 million were planned for the construction of the factory, but later on, the sum was increased to EUR 50 million.

Uralvagonzavod chose Latvia because it is a Russian-speaking country with good investment conditions and trained professionals. UVZ Baltija CEO Andrejs Saciks, interviewed, avoided elaborating on Uralvagonzavod's primary line – military machinery.

"Tanks is one of its business activities. At the same time, I wish to stress that Uralvagonzavod is the largest freight car manufacturer in the world," Saciks told "Neka personiga".

When asked, if tanks will be manufactured in Latvia, Saciks said: "Are you kidding? Of course, we do not plan to do that. We have a decent civil project. In reality, Latvia has never manufactured freight cars. And now it is a pilot-project for Latvia as a country, which will now own its own industry it did not have before."