Cameras, motorcycles, tape recorders... The historian explained what technology Ukrainians received due to reparations after World War II.

Ukrainian technology from Germany: the impact of reparations

Historian Andriy Kudryachenko explained what technologies came to Ukraine after World War II due to reparations. As is known, both the West and the USSR gained access to German engineers and advanced technologies, including military.

Germany was the first country to develop the V-1 flying bombs that struck London. Sergey Korolev personally studied German rocket centers and brought equipment and documentation for the Soviet rocket program, - Kudryachenko said.

Based on the V-2 in 1949 under Korolev's leadership, the first Soviet combat ballistic missile P-1 was created. The Dnipro plant manufactured the missile, and later the 'Yuzhne' design bureau was established. This bureau developed the first Soviet intercontinental missiles for the nuclear forces of the USSR.

German technologies also influenced the industry in Kyiv. The motorcycle plant that produced the K1-B 'Kyianin' was built with German equipment. Additionally, the 'Kyiv' cameras resembled the German Zeiss Contax cameras.

The transportation of German technologies to the 'Arsenal' plant in Kyiv allowed Ukraine to become a manufacturer of optical and optoelectronic devices. These developments were used by the military aviation and space program of the USSR. The photographic equipment from 'Arsenal' was used for shooting in outer space and on board Soviet spacecraft.

Post-war reparations provided Ukraine not only with technology but also with the famous peonies that became a hallmark of the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden and a popular recreation spot for Kyivans in May.

The German technologies that arrived in Ukraine through reparations had a significant impact on the country’s industrial development and military sphere.