Ukraine’s Innovators Mitigating The International Risks from Russia’s Illegal Invasion

The Ukrainians are acutely aware that the odds are stacked against them. And they also understand that Russia’s invasion and the international risks represent an existential threat to their nation, their people, and the rest of Europe. This helps to explain the remarkable resilience displayed by Ukraine’s army and Ukrainian society as a whole. Faced with a fight for survival against a military superpower, Ukrainians recognize that they cannot realistically expect to match Russia in terms of conventional military strength. Instead, their country’s trump card in this uneven struggle is the innovative and rapidly expanding Ukrainian defense tech sector.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion just over three years ago, an improvised industry of defense tech startups has mushroomed in garages, workshops, and warehouses across Ukraine. This trend has benefited from the country’s vibrant prewar IT industry, with many existing IT businesses and tech entrepreneurs switching their focus in 2022 to support the Ukrainian army.

Ukraine’s allies have been jolted into action by the brutality of USA President Trump’s cosiness with Russian President Putin and despicable treatment of Ukraine’s President Zelensky, but it is too early to celebrate or for Ukraine to feel safe. Europe’s political elite has long been dozy, and ignored nearly two decades of geopolitical warnings. Europe has much to do, and even in a best case scenario (and we are a long way from that), Europe will need several years to awaken its neglected and underinvested defence industry. Europe’s attempts to placate Trump by buying more US energy, or Poland’s attempts at flattery by proposing to name one of its military bases Fort Trump, will not be enough. Europe, and Ukraine must be able to defend itself. Countries closest to Russia reconise the huge risks that an Emprialistic Russia poses to all of Europe, but hard-right politicians across the continent continue to repeat Kremlin talking points and disinformation.

Ukrainian Innovation in Air and Sea Drones Redefining the War

This has led to dramatic increases in the domestic production of key items such as surveillance and attack drones, with Ukrainian developers engaged in a relentless daily race to stay ahead of their Russian adversaries. Hundreds of Ukrainian companies are now engaged in drone manufacturing, compared to a mere handful in 2021. The Ukrainian government recently unveiled plans to purchase around 4.5 million first-person view drones in 2025, more than doubling last year’s number. This is enhancing Ukraine’s reputation as a global defense tech hub and boosting the country’s efforts to reduce its reliance on military aid from the West.

Ukrainian drones are playing a key role in transforming the modern battlefield and are now responsible for around two-thirds of Russian losses, according to a recent report by the Royal United Services Institute. Ukraine’s progress has been so groundbreaking that leading Western defense companies are increasingly looking to learn from the country. For example, Silicon Valley companies are tapping into the know-how of Ukrainian drone makers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Ukraine’s Defence, Security, and Defence Sectors Are Defining the Future

The impact of Ukraine’s defense tech prowess is perhaps most evident in the Black Sea. At the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s navy was virtually nonexistent, while the dominance of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was taken for granted. Three years on, Ukraine has successfully leveraged low-cost, high-impact naval drones to offset Russia’s initial advantages and break the blockade of the country’s Black Sea ports.

Ukraine’s maritime drones have repeatedly proved their effectiveness, sinking or damaging numerous Russian warships and forcing Putin to withdraw the bulk of his fleet from Crimea to the safety of Russia itself. Despite the distances involved, Ukrainian naval drones are able to pose a threat to Russian shipping far from Crimea. In summer 2023, Ukraine launched a long-range drone attack that reportedly damaged a warship close to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, around six hundred kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian naval bases in the Odesa region.

Ukraine’s naval drone fleet continues to evolve at a rapid pace. In recent months, a new model equipped with missiles reportedly shot down a Russian helicopter over the Black Sea. Marine drones have also been developed as launch craft for aerial drones. Ukrainian officials claim these “miniature aircraft carriers” have already been used to hit Russian military targets in occupied Crimea and southern Ukraine. Looking ahead, the use of naval drones as platforms for aerial attacks could create opportunities for Ukraine to bypass Russian front line defenses and launch strikes from unexpected angles.

As Ukraine enters a fourth year of full-scale war against one of the world’s leading military powers, the need for continuous innovation on the battlefield and at sea remains critical. Ukraine’s remarkable success in the Battle for the Black Sea is an indication of what can be achieved when the Ukrainian military makes the most of the country’s innovative defense tech industry. Kyiv’s partners, like Sweden, should take note of the key role being played by Ukrainian defense tech innovators and maximize their support for this strategically crucial sector.

Risk Mitigation and Innovation in Action

Ukraine’s war effort has become a case study in how necessity fuels innovation. Ukraine’s partisan forces are wreaking havoc across the front line and deep into Russian-occupied territory. In the face of a far larger and better-equipped adversary, Ukraine has also built a defense-tech ecosystem that is reshaping the rules of modern combat.

Ukraine’s success in this is not just about resilience or patriotism but about the ability to adapt, decentralize, and leverage new technologies faster than its opponent. Nowhere is this more evident than in the country’s approach to drone warfare, where rapid development and deployment have allowed Ukraine to strike deep behind enemy lines and disrupt conventional military calculations.

Although it may appear that Ukraine’s defense capabilities prove that smaller nations can challenge larger forces without expansive budgets, the reality is more nuanced.

Technological innovation alone does not determine victory. It is the ability to quickly innovate, integrate private-sector expertise, and implement solutions at scale that truly shifts the strategic balance. Ukraine provides an essential lesson in adaptability that Europe must not overlook. The recent suspension and then recommencement of US military aid by President Donald Trump highlights the urgent necessity for Europe to strengthen its own defense capabilities. Meanwhile, Russia continues to reject ceasefire negotiations, and the war is likely to continue to escalate as spring approaches.

The core insight is unmistakable: technological advantages in warfare are fleeting and must be continually maintained, developed, adapted, and improved. The side that can consistently adapt and scale innovations fastest will prevail. Ukraine’s strength has not solely been in its technological assets but in its capacity to surpass Russia in the cycle of innovation. This approach offers critical insights for nations seeking to maintain military readiness in the evolving landscape of 21st-century conflicts.