Highly skilled Ukrainian workers could fill thousands of vacant jobs in the Czech arms industry to help meet demand caused by the war in Ukraine, a Czech defense official said on Monday, Reuters reported.

The Czech Republic has been one of the main suppliers of arms to Kyiv since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the shipments have severely depleted stocks, and authorities have warned that it could take years to replenish stocks.

Some Czech arms manufacturers have already said they need to increase their workforce.

“(There will be) thousands of jobs,” Czech Radio quoted Deputy Defense Minister Tomasz Kopechny as suggesting that workers could come from Ukraine, whose arms industry has been targeted by Russia.

“It depends on how the production capacities of Czech companies or the production of joint Czech-Ukrainian arms factories will increase,” he added.

Kopechny said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala agreed to host Ukrainian weapons experts during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in October.

Last week, the owner of major arms manufacturer Czechoslovak Group said Ukraine was producing 40,000 shells a week from hundreds of howitzers supplied by the West.

“Indeed, a lot has been imported into Ukraine. But the truth is that today Ukrainians shoot less than they could, because they don’t have enough ammunition,” Michal Strnad said.

(article photo: DreamsTime)