Ukraine has significantly strengthened its defense capabilities, increasing its capacities in this area by 35 times over the past three years. This was reported by Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, who emphasized that there are currently about 900 enterprises and over 1,000 innovative teams working in the sector.
This is reported by Finway
Investments in Human Capital and Innovations
Shmyhal stressed that technological advantage in war is achieved through active investments in human capital, the development of effective solutions, and the enhancement of the industrial base. The state encourages weapon manufacturers to invest in higher education institutions, weapon laboratories, and to introduce new scholarship programs to stimulate innovation.
“Of the 900 companies in the defense sector, over 800 are private manufacturers,” he noted.
Preferential Lending and New Opportunities for Manufacturers
In Ukraine, the foundation for long-term state contracts lasting 3-5 years is already being laid. Preferential loans are available for weapon manufacturers: up to 100 million hryvnias for working capital and up to 500 million hryvnias for investments, with the total amount of issued loans reaching 2.7 billion hryvnias. Additionally, grants of up to 8 million hryvnias are available for developers of drones, robotic systems, and electronic warfare tools.
Weapon manufacturers have the opportunity to organize production and localization under the Build in Ukraine model. A Defence City is also being created — a special legal zone for weapon manufacturers with the possibility of controlled export of products.