Dorozvidka #25: Andriy Hrytseniuk, Ihor Fedirko, Yaroslav Kalinin, Ukroboronprom, and deep strikes at Ramstein

Brave1 director Andriy Hrytseniuk gave the first interview in his new role. Executive Director of the Ukrainian Defence Industry Association, Ihor Fedirko, warns that the window of opportunity for Ukrainian arms producers is gradually closing. Ukroboronprom has entered the world’s top 50 leading defence companies. Germany will allocate funds to Ukrainian “deep strikes” manufacturers, while British companies will simultaneously produce long-range drones for Ukraine.

More details in Dorozvidka #25.

Ihor Fedirko on Ukraine at the MSPO exhibition in Poland

The Executive Director of the Ukrainian Defence Industry Association, Ihor Fedirko, shared his impressions of the International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Poland — the largest arms fair in Central and Eastern Europe — with Militarnyi.

He outlined the key trends shaping the global defence industry and emphasised that the window of opportunity for Ukrainian manufacturers is gradually closing.

According to Fedirko, solutions with a “Ukrainian footprint” — from FPV drones to ground robotic systems — are increasingly present at Western stands. Some companies openly admit they are testing their developments in Ukraine through local partners.

Despite foreign interest, the situation for private manufacturers inside Ukraine remains difficult. Closed exports, limited domestic financing, regular strikes on defence enterprises, and the liquidation of the Ministry for Strategic Industries, which had been a strong lobbyist for Ukrainian producers, all create uncertainty.

In addition to Russian attacks and underfunding, there is also a looming strategic problem — the Western world, using Ukrainian experience, is rapidly catching up with Ukraine’s developments.

The first interview with Brave1 director Andriy Hrytseniuk

Forbes published an interview with the new head of the Brave1 defence cluster, Andriy Hrytseniuk, who replaced the project’s founder, Natalia Kushnerska, in June 2025. This was Hrytseniuk’s first major interview in his new position.

With the change in leadership, the defence cluster is also launching an updated system for financing Ukrainian arms producers. A special grant programme will provide up to ₴8 million for missile developers and AI solutions, and new competitions will award up to ₴150 million for scaling technologies.

In the interview, Hrytseniuk spoke about how the cluster’s work is changing, how many Brave1 projects are related to missiles, why the cluster is suing some grant recipients, and answered several other questions.

Yaroslav Kalinin on the development of EW/ELINT

At the Tech Forces in UA Forum in Lviv, Militarnyi interviewed Infozahyst CEO Yaroslav Kalinin.

He spoke about the role of electronic intelligence on the frontline, joint projects with partners, and the changes modern battlefields demand from EW/LINT systems.

Germany and the United Kingdom to fund deep strike drones for Ukraine

At the 30th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein format), German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, together with his British counterpart John Healey, announced the launch of a “deep strike” initiative and stronger German support for the procurement of long-range drones from Ukraine’s defence industry.

“As part of this initiative, we are signing a number of contracts with Ukrainian enterprises worth a total of €300 million,” he said. According to Pistorius, these contracts will provide for the delivery of several thousand long-range drones of various types made in Ukraine. The contracts “are flexible and include options for increasing volumes,” he added.

Meanwhile, the UK Defence Secretary John Healey announced financing and production on British soil of a thousand long-range strike drones for Ukraine.

Ukroboronprom is in the world’s top 50 defence companies

For the second year in a row, Ukroboronprom has been ranked among the world’s top 50 defence companies — taking 49th place in the Top 100 Defence Companies 2025.

The ranking is based on companies’ performance in 2024. Ukroboronprom’s revenue exceeded $3 billion, up 36.3% compared to 2023.