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These are difficult days for Ukraine. More than three years into Russia's war of aggression, the country faces redoubled resolve from Moscow, as the Kremlin pushes to maximize its gains ahead of any possible settlement. It is also weathering flagging enthusiasm from Washington, where the Trump administration has adopted a decidedly skeptical stance toward Kyiv's continued fight. This has confronted the Ukrainian government with the prospect that—despite Europe's ongoing pledges of support—it will be forced to confront Russian aggression with less backing from the United States.
But in this grim calculus, Kyiv possesses a trump card. The past three years of war have seen Ukraine's brave defenders make massive military advancements, as battlefield necessity has become the mother of invention. In the process, Ukraine has singlehandedly managed to change the shape of modern warfare.
This can be seen most clearly in the context of drones. Since February 2023, a veritable revolution has taken place in drone warfare, as unmanned platforms have increased in versatility, affordability, and function. Ukraine has blazed the trail in this regard, pioneering a robust indigenous drone manufacturing capability, establishing cutting edge drone units, and erecting drone workshops on the war's frontlines, where they can rapidly resupply forward-deployed units. These capabilities are now proliferating at an astonishing rate; the state and private industry currently produce some 200,000 drones a month, and will manufacture a total of 2.5 million or more this year. This surge, in turn, has allowed Ukraine to offset at least some of Russia's advantages in conventional firepower.
These advances have also had a trickle-down effect, creating significant innovations in fields like military medicine. For instance, Ukrainian forces are increasingly using unmanned systems to transport casualties from the frontlines, or to provide medical supplies to them—thereby reducing risks to medical personnel and allowing for more immediate life-saving treatment for those wounded in combat.
New technologies have seeped into the way the country's soldiers train as well. Ukraine's armed forces have leaned into the use of virtual reality (VR) to more cheaply and efficiently train troops in disciplines like air defense and drone piloting. This burgeoning ecosystem, moreover, is being actively fed by a growing number of start-ups, effectively leading to a democratization of the country's defense sector.
So far, though, these innovations haven't received enough sustained attention. A cohort of activists, like those of the Snake Island Institute, a Ukrainian-based defense and security think tank, is aiming to change that—by sharing the military advancements and innovations made by their country with Western audiences.
There is already a great deal to tell, and still more to come. This spring, Ukraine's Defense Ministry allocated a third of its annual budget for the development of high tech weaponry. If the recent past is any indication, this new infusion of funds will spur yet another cycle of military innovation on the part of Ukraine's military. That's because, as the Snake Island Institute noted in a recent study, "Ukraine's battlefield has become the world's most dynamic proving ground for defense technology. In this environment, innovation is no longer theoretical—it's tactical, urgent, and iterative."
That's an important message for Washington to hear. Since taking office back in January, the Trump administration has focused much of its foreign policy criticism on Europe's need to do more to shoulder the burden for collective security. The language has been pointed, but it's hardly new; American presidents of both parties have long complained about Europe's chronic underinvestment in defense. That state of affairs is now beginning to change, as more and more European nations—forced to contemplate a potential future without America—belatedly get serious about their own security.
Ukraine's defenders, though, already are serious. And while it undoubtedly needs continued support from the West to weather Russia's military aggression, Kyiv is already transforming the modern battlefield. Or, as the Snake Island Institute put it, "Ukraine is reshaping the defense innovation cycle. Those who act with us will help build the future of deterrence, security, and strategic advantage."
For a Washington increasingly focused on efficiency and burden-sharing, it's a message worth heeding.
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