Uganda commissions Russian-donated facilities

A still from Ugandan television news coverage shows the Russian-donated Military Mechanised Major Repair Facility at Magamaga. (UBC Television Uganda)

More details of Russia's military aid for the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF) have emerged after President Yoweri Museveni inaugurated some of the new facilities on 21-22 October.

The programme was revealed in October 2025, when President Yoweri Museveni announced he had ‘launched' the Military Mechanised Major Repair Facility in Magamaga as part of Russian donations to the UPDF valued at USD53 million.

At the time, the Russian ambassador to Uganda was cited as saying this was the first of two phases, with the second involving the construction of a maintenance and repair facility in Magamaga and a boat storage site and floating pier in Entebbe, with the work expected to be completed by September 2026.

Those facilities have now been largely completed and were formally inaugurated by Museveni on 21-22 October.

Television coverage of the ceremony held at Magamaga showed that the new vehicle repair facility has been built immediately to the north of the building where the UPDF's Nyoka armoured vehicles were assembled.

A floating dock for small boats has also been installed at the 15th Marine Brigade base in Entebbe. This was shown being used by at least four Russian-made BL-820 patrol boats, one of which was displayed at Magamaga in October 2025.

A floating boom has also been installed around the dock and computer screens shown in a control room indicated the base now has a radar and electro-optical surveillance system.

Museveni also inaugurated a simulator for the BRDM-2MS armoured reconnaissance vehicle at the Mechanised Warfare College in Kalama.