Data from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange data shows that the value of Rheinmetall group’s shares fluctuated, and no sharp drops have been noted. The Ukrainian military highly appreciates the quality of German weapons, and Rheinmetall AG is planning to increase production, as demand for its products is growing, driven by the Russian war in Ukraine.
Kremlin news media, as well as Russian Telegram channels, are claiming that German automotive and arms manufacturer Rheinmetall’s shares fell sharply “after several unsuccessful Ukrainian counteroffensive attempts.” According to Russian publications this happened Russian troops “massively destroyed many Leopard 2 tanks,” which the Rheinmetall produces.
According to the Russian propagandist website Dzen, Ukraine has become a testing ground for NATO’s “miracle technology and an advertising billboard for those who want to purchase weapons that have well-known brands. However, at the front, these weapons did not show their best side.”
Based in Dusseldorf, Rheinmetall AG is Germany’s largest defense contractor and the biggest European manufacturer or artillery ammunition. Together with the Krauss-Maffei machine manufacturer, Rheinmetall produces Leopard tanks, for which Ukraine had been long asking and finally getting the green light in January of this year.
Rheinmetall is currently increasing production and even plans to open a manufacturing plant in Ukraine to produce tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition. According to the agreement, Ukraine will benefit from a comprehensive technology transfer, additional production capacity, and short-term deliveries of military equipment from Germany.
Russian propagandists publishing a video of a damaged Leopard tank did not lead to a drop in Rheinmetall shares, nor has it damaged the company’s business. On the contrary, company CEO Armin Papperger, said that the Ukrainian military is very pleased with the German weapons, and pointed out that the Russian war against Ukraine played a major role in the current growth of the company. Countries understand this, and that is why the demand for the Rheinmetall’s products is only growing.
“We are currently negotiating several very large contracts: tanks, ammunition, soon air defense – and aircraft. We are talking about long terms and many billions of euros,” Papperger said.
Claims that Rheinmetall’s shares are falling are simply not true and do not correspond with reality. Various market sites show the share price fluctuating mildly, with no severe drops or falls.
According to the stock market site Markets Insider, Rheinmetall’s share price has grown at 250% in the last three years, has delivered a strong performance in its recent results and maintains a positive growth outlook for the rest of 2023.
According to the capital markets site Capital.com, “As European stock markets have suffered a downbeat start to the year, German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall (RHM) has shot up. As of Wednesday, the company’s share price has risen 152% on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange year-to-date, versus a decline of 9.34% in the STOXX 600, an index of the biggest European firms. A look at when Rheinmetall’s rise accelerated shows the obvious cause: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and subsequent commitments from Germany and beyond to increase defense spending,” Frankfurt Stock Exchange data also shows normal fluctuation in Rheinmetall’s share prices, and no indication of any sharp price drop.
In a June 10 interview with the German newspaper publisher RND, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said he expects the company’s stock market value to rise further due to the war in Ukraine and increased defense spending in Europe.
Russian propaganda is disseminating countless fakes about Ukrainian military losses in the Zaporizhzhia region, claiming large numbers of tanks have been lost. However, analysts who verify the photos and videos allegedly Russian propagandists publish, say that although losses do exist, they are much smaller than Russian media claims, who use the same photographs over and over again, but from different angles.
According to Geoconfirmed, a global geolocation analysis platform covering Russia’s war against Ukraine, “this is conventional warfare against a layered defense. Ukraine will lose a lot of vehicles. That is part of an offensive. The numbers the Russians show are nothing compared to the amount Ukraine has for this offensive.”
Geoconfirmed analysts note that “most destroyed vehicles seem to be destroyed by mines. You see that the hatches are open, no blood, almost no bodies. So the vehicles did what they are intended to do: protect the soldiers inside. Vehicles can be replaced, humans cannot. And the hard truth is maybe difficult to accept – loss of human lives are foreseen and expected during an offensive.”
Earlier, StopFake debunked Russian fakes claiming that the Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks “threaten the health of Ukrainians.”
