russia's Military Prosecutor's Office has filed a claim with the Moscow Arbitration Court against German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall, demanding repayment of an alleged €47 million debt for incomplete work on the fit-out of the 333rd Training Centre in Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, according to russian propaganda outlets.
The facility has been struck at least once by a long-range Ukrainian drone, in March 2025, using an An-196 Liuty. It is therefore worth explaining what the 333rd Training Centre actually is, and how Rheinmetall came to be involved in its construction.
Read more: Hitting St. Petersburg with HIMARS: U.S. Advances PrSM Increment 4 Engine Toward 1000 km-Class Range
The contract between russia's Ministry of Defence and Rheinmetall for the fit-out of the Mulino facility was signed in 2011, with a value of €100 million at the exchange rate at the time. Details of the agreement remain publicly available on the company's official website.
Under the contract, Rheinmetall was to complete work on the 333rd Training Centre by 2014. The scope of work included designing all facility systems, developing and supplying communications and debriefing systems, manufacturing a suite of laser engagement simulation systems, and constructing a complex of buildings for force-on-force training exercises. Rheinmetall was also contracted to provide training for the centre's own personnel at Mulino.
According to russian sources, German contractors had completed nearly the entire scope of work by 2014, with the exception of delivering the laser engagement simulation systems. That same year, Rheinmetall terminated the contract following Western sanctions imposed on russia over the annexation of Crimea.
The official commissioning of the 333rd Training Centre was pushed back to 2015, though construction work continued even after the facility's formal opening.
The centre covers more than 500 square kilometres and can accommodate over 700 personnel in simultaneous training. In 2022, russian forces used the site to form the 3rd Army Corps of the russian Armed Forces, the same formation that was defeated during Ukraine's Kharkiv counteroffensive in the autumn of that year.
Whether russia's legal claim against Rheinmetall has any practical purpose, and whether the €47 million figure has any genuine basis, remains an open question.
Ivan Kyrychevsky, serviceman of the Raid 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment, Defense Express expert.
Read more: russia Can Keep No More Than Four A-50U AWACS Aircraft Flying, That Matters for Future Gripen Operations in Ukraine
