Daily Sabah
April 21, 2022

Turkish firm makes ballistic helmets, vests for Zelenksyy, his team

Afirm from central Turkey it turns out has been producing the ballistic protective equipment used by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team since Russia launched its military campaign.

The fact emerged after Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank visited the Garanti Kompozit factory in Yozgat’s organized industrial zone.

…Varank was told that the company had manufactured and sent helmets and vests for Zelenskyy and his team after receiving a special request in the first days of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

“They asked for 20 helmets and vests for Mr. Zelenskyy and his team, so we sent them, we were happy to see them on TV,” said Garanti Kompozit Manager Vedat Tüzer.

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“In addition to the production of vital defense equipment that protects our security forces, the export of these products is very important for our country to show the point it has achieved in production,” Varank said.

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At the same time, Tüzer said the company has been supplying nearly 80% of the ballistic helmets in Turkey since 2013.

Until 2013, these were usually supplied from U.S. or Israel-partnered foreign companies, with Tüzer saying purchases were made at prices around $1,900.

“We finished these. We supply our products both to Turkey and abroad.”