Air-raid sirens cost Kyiv’s weapons makers 61.8 working hours in month, nearly eight days, yet their contract deadlines stay fixed, two groups say
Ukraine’s gunmakers want the government to count real siren downtime against contract deadlines.
Air-raid sirens are causing Ukrainian weapons manufacturers to lose 61.8 hours of work time each month, equivalent to nearly eight working days, according to the Ukrainian Gunmakers Council and the League of Defense Enterprises of Ukraine. Despite this, contract deadlines remain unchanged, causing financial strain on the companies.
Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko estimates that each hour of air-raid alerts costs Ukraine's economy around $45 million, as businesses halt operations and workers seek shelter. The lost hours pose challenges for arms manufacturers, as they must meet fixed delivery dates and face penalties for delays. In addition to the siren time, companies must also account for the process of safely shutting down equipment, moving workers to shelter, and restarting production once the all-clear signal is given.
Missing a deadline incurs a daily fine, with an additional 7 percent penalty after 30 days. Manufacturers are losing more than just the siren time; they are also spending resources on penalties and court disputes. The contract dates remain fixed unless the customer agrees to a change, leaving producers to pay for stoppages beyond their control.
The Gunmakers Council has proposed changes to Cabinet Resolution No. 1275 to establish a standardized method for determining actual downtime from air-raid alerts and its impact on contract deadlines. They suggest that customers verify alert times against official data, compare stoppages and restarts with the plant's own production records, and each request would be assessed individually.
The council has previously raised this issue with the Defense Ministry and is urging the Defense Procurement Agency to act promptly. They are seeking a clear list of supporting documents, a set review deadline, and rules for applying the mechanism to already signed contracts. In the meantime, manufacturers continue to lose production time, and the risk of delays increases.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
