"Housewives" and "Lego": Rheinmetall says it respects Ukraine after CEO's controversial remarks
German defence concern Rheinmetall has said it has "the utmost respect" for Ukrainian weapons manufacturers after its CEO Armin Papperger compared Ukrainian drones to "Lego bricks" made by "housewives with 3D printers".
Source: Rheinmetall on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda
Details: The company stated that it respects the Ukrainian people's efforts in defending themselves against the Russian invasion, particularly given their limited resources.
"The innovative strength and the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people are an inspiration to us. We are grateful to be able to support Ukraine with the resources at our disposal," Rheinmetall tweeted.
The comments followed a backlash against remarks made by Papperger in a recent interview with The Atlantic. When the journalist mentioned Ukrainian-made drones, Papperger dismissed the idea of any innovation and compared them to playing with Lego bricks.
"This is how to play with Legos. What is the innovation of Ukraine? They don't have some technological breakthrough," he claimed, adding that this technology is not at the same level as companies like Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics or Rheinmetall.
When the journalist replied that Ukraine is the world's largest democratic drone-producing country, the Rheinmetall CEO asked which companies he was referring to.
The discussion then turned to the Ukrainian defence companies Fire Point and Skyfall, which Papperger described as "housewives with 3D printers".
"It's Ukrainian housewives. They have 3D printers in the kitchen and they produce parts for drones. This is not innovation," he said.
Background:
- Last year, Papperger said he was willing to participate in arming a possible international peacekeeping mission after the end of Russia's war against Ukraine.
- Rheinmetall has supplied Ukraine with weaponry of its own manufacture on multiple occasions. In October 2025, for example, it announced that additional Skyranger 35 air defence systems, funded out of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets, would be sent to Ukraine.
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