Ministry of Defense: Ukraine's defense industry already has about 900 enterprises, most of which are private

The defense-industrial complex of Ukraine currently includes about 900 enterprises. Most of them are privately owned. This is stated in the blog of First Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Ivan Havrylyuk for Ukrinform.

"Before the war, most defense industry enterprises were in the sphere of state management. They had a high level of dependence on budget financing, were not flexible, and responded poorly to market challenges," he recalled.

Ivan Havrylyuk is convinced that in a few years the "defense industry" has gained significant momentum, especially in the production of shells of all Soviet calibers, armored vehicles, ATGMs, etc. Our country has created its own production schools for unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and armored personnel carriers.

"I would like to note that the potential of the defense industry is assessed not only by the possibilities of scaling up the production of certain types of weapons, but also, especially, by the ability to master the production of new types of weapons," the First Deputy Minister emphasized.

He also drew attention to the fact that Ukrainian gunsmiths are expanding the line of their own weapons. We are talking about high-tech production, for example, unmanned systems, the Bogdan artillery system, modern armored personnel carriers, long-range weapons, etc.

The allies helped in the implementation of some projects, but this does not diminish the potential of the Ukrainian industry. In our country, according to the First Deputy Minister, there is a closed production of a considerable line of munitions models that are not produced in many even economically more powerful countries of the world.

"Ukrainians were the first in the world to begin the mass use of unmanned systems on the battlefield (from 2023). For the first time in the history of wars, a new category of weapons has been added - unmanned systems. Today, drones are among the main means of reconnaissance and destruction on the battlefield. With the help of drones, we managed to weaken the traditional advantages of the Russian army," noted Ivan Havrylyuk.

He also drew attention to the fact that rocketry is being revived in the country. At the same time, the First Deputy Minister emphasized that objectively, it takes years, not months, to implement missile programs. And in Ukraine, there has been stagnation in the development of weapons for a long time. Therefore, he advises to understand that "miracles will not happen by themselves."

"And also realize: if we are talking, for example, about the development and production of new long-range attack systems, then in the implementation of these projects it is worth counting on our own strength. Nobody wants to share technologies...", added Ivan Havrylyuk.

He also added that it is more profitable for Ukraine to maximize its own capacity - domestic equipment is cheaper and not inferior in quality. Another advantage is repair and maintenance, which will not require imported spare parts.

"Oboronka" has already become one of the drivers of the national economy. Further breakthrough development of the defense industry is a great chance to become a technological state. Today, given the challenges and threats, the development of the domestic defense-industrial complex is a matter of the country's survival. The domestic defense industry is also a front today!" - emphasized Ivan Havrylyuk.

He is confident that Ukraine must dominate the production of drones for various purposes, progress in the production of long-range weapons, and obtain new tools of war that the enemy does not yet have.

"...the duration of the war largely depends on how powerfully we will be able to accelerate the weapons production pipeline. How quickly we will master and increase the production of new critically important weapons. In particular, electronic warfare systems, UAVs for various purposes, air defense systems, new long-range weapons. We also need Ukrainian Stingers, Hymars, Cheetahs...", said the First Deputy Minister.

He is convinced that to implement such a task, Ukraine will need significant financial investments. However, among the main problems of the development of the Ukrainian defense industry is not only a lack of funds, but also of personnel. The demand for narrowly specialized specialists is significant.

We will remind you that during July 2025, the Ministry of Defense admitted about 140 new models of weapons and military equipment for operation in the Defense Forces. More than 85% of them are domestically produced.