Brave1's flagship event, Defense Tech Valley, is being postponed after a deadly strike at an unrelated defense tech demonstration last Friday.
The event had originally been scheduled for Sept 16-17 in Lviv.
"We firmly believe that defense innovation events must continue," the organization said in a statement on Wednesday. "At the same time, recent events have made it clear that both the government and the defense industry must reassess existing practices and jointly establish a new standard for organizing such activities under wartime conditions."
Brave1 is a Ukrainian government initiative focused on the development of defense technologies. Its events in Kyiv, Lviv and elsewhere draw substantial numbers of foreign defense officials, investors, startups and manufacturers to Ukraine.
“The summit will return on new dates and in an updated format,” Brave1 pledged.
A demonstration of defense technology organized by another association in the Kyiv region was hit by Russian strikes last Friday, killing at least twelve and injuring some 100 others.
Earlier this week, Kyiv courts ordered Vasyl Honcharuk, the organizer of the exhibition, to be held in pretrial detention for approximately 60 days without the right to post bail. He has been charged with official negligence resulting in death.
"War does not forgive irresponsibility," the office of the Ukrainian prosecutor general wrote. The office said that the defense association behind the demonstration on Friday had organized more than 300 people to an open-air location for a demonstration, including the use of air defense systems. The nearest shelter was 100m away and only 34m², the office added.
Other conferences are also being pushed back as other organizers weighed safety and liability concerns.
IRON Cluster, a Lviv-based defense tech ecosystem, canceled their upcoming event, IRON DEMO 2026, as a result of the attack. It was scheduled to take place from August 28-29 in Lviv.
“For three years of the cluster's existence, safety has always been our top priority,” they wrote in an official statement, citing their commitment to safety protocals and collaboration with authorities. “But today, any of our words will be superfluous.”European Defense Tech's hackathon in Lviv, planned for Sept 18-20, has also been postponed. “We'll set a new date,” the organizers promised.
Stay safe out there.
Best,
Tim
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