Famous Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandr Dolgopolov ridiculed the threats of the Russian Federation against the German concern Rheinmetall. Russia said it would attack the plant that the military equipment and weapons manufacturer will build in Ukraine.

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger replied that he was not abandoning his plans to build the plant in Ukraine, and that he would protect it from Russian attacks with air defence systems of his own production.

"I can't stop laughing. Rheinmetall is going into animal mode. The next level. They're just laughing in Russia's face, basically saying that its entire army isn't good enough to threaten them," the former tennis player wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, Papperger said that the plant would start operating in October 2023. The company will operate in the western part of the country and will not only produce tanks and other armoured vehicles but also train Ukrainians to maintain them.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Rheinmetall is also working on the creation of a service centre for military equipment that is being transferred to Ukraine as part of military aid from Western countries. The centre will be located in Romania, Ukraine's neighbour.

Earlier, Dolgopolov, who joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion, reacted sharply to the stories of "innocent Russian athletes". The 34-year-old Kyiv resident believes that almost no one from Russia is actually worried about the war in Ukraine.

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