A firm from central Turkey it turns out has been producing the ballistic protective equipment used by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team since Russia launched its military campaign.

The fact emerged after Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank visited the Garanti Kompozit factory in Yozgat's organized industrial zone.

During his meeting with factory officials, Varank was told that the company had manufactured and sent helmets and vests for Zelenskyy and his team after receiving a special request in the first days of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

“They asked for 20 helmets and vests for Mr. Zelenskyy and his team, so we sent them, we were happy to see them on TV,” said Garanti Kompozit Manager Vedat Tüzer.

The company says it uses high-tech materials to produce various protective ballistic composite products, performance-enhancing clothing and equipment for military, professional and civilian use.

Varank highlighted that protective equipment has particularly come to the fore due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

“In addition to the production of vital defense equipment that protects our security forces, the export of these products is very important for our country to show the point it has achieved in production,” Varank said.

“I am very pleased to have seen this point where the private sector has come in, especially in the defense industry. A lot of military equipment is manufactured in Yozgat and shipped to more than 50 countries of the world.”

At the same time, Tüzer said the company has been supplying nearly 80% of the ballistic helmets in Turkey since 2013.

Until 2013, these were usually supplied from U.S. or Israel-partnered foreign companies, with Tüzer saying purchases were made at prices around $1,900.

“We finished these. We supply our products both to Turkey and abroad.”