Innovation as a strategic advantage
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said that the last three years proved: for Ukraine, innovation is not theory but a working instrument of defense and recovery. During the war the country learned to turn ideas into drones, data analysis systems and AI tools very quickly — this gives the army flexibility and the state a chance to build a modern digital economy.
What Ukraine has already built
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about 1,500 defense tech companies are already operating in the country;
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the Brave1 cluster has collected more than 3,600 solutions — from UAVs to software for analytics;
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defense developments are tested directly by the military and then go into procurement, which speeds up production.
According to Fedorov, this shows that Ukraine can create technology that changes the battlefield and, at the same time, becomes a driver for the economy.
Next step — take military technologies to civilian sectors
The government’s task is to make the Brave1 model work not only for the front. Teams that today build drones, communication tools or AI for the army should tomorrow build products for business, medicine, education, sustainable development and public services. This will help keep engineers in Ukraine and give the country competitive tech exports.
Why this is important now
Ukraine is going through reconstruction under constant security threats. If the state keeps supporting fast technology development, it will receive new jobs, taxes, digital services and solutions that can be sold to partners. In Fedorov’s words, innovation is Ukraine’s chance “to win peace” — to secure itself and grow even in war conditions.
