SPOTTED: At the Invest in Bravery event held in Kyiv last Thursday.
Lola Onipko, cofounder & executive director of Invest in Bravery;
Benjamin Wolba, cofounder of European Defense Tech Hub;
Deborah Fairlamb, founding partner at Green Flag Ventures;
Iryna Oshovska, PR account and partnership manager at Calibrated;
Oles Khudoba, co-founder of Double Tap Investments Ltd;
Sarah Tillger, president & founder & board member of SkyCanSystems.Inc;
Alyona Teplukhina СEO assistant at G-Next Intelligence;
Damien Magrou, managing partner at Skaði;
Tomas Petru, managing partner at Alatyr Group;
Yuliia Zhosan, electronics lead for a rocketry national competition team at Liverpool Association for Space Engineering Research.
BLUF: The world is watching the fallout from the critical artery for global oil supply, the Strait of Hormuz, being blocked off. But Ukraine holds the keys to solving the crisis — using fiber-optic robots, autonomous drones, and shooting down Shaheds from surface platforms in the Black Sea. Ukraine is now an expert in mine clearance and port protection, thanks to Russia’s yearslong war.
During the Invest in Bravery event at Kyiv Defense Tech Week (KDTW), Ukrainian military commanders told investors what they need most on the front lines and what’s lacking on the market, stressing the importance of simplicity and streamlining technologies.
Ukraine’s efforts to move away from foreign-made defense components have hit a roadblock as the Strait of Hormuz blockade and rising gasoline prices have sent prices soaring.
At the EDTH Hackathon during KDTW, teams focused on developing autonomous systems, UAV interception, and countermeasures against FPV drones. RadSim won for creating a radar simulator to train pilots of interceptor drones.
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Lesia Mandzevych, advisory program director at IT Arena, is starting a new position as director of operations at Defense Innovation Highway, a Ukraine–Nordic platform for connecting people in the defense field.
Tulip Tech, a Danish manufacturer of batteries for the military that has an office in Ukraine, is looking for military relations specialists, product owners, HR specialists, operations specialists, project managers, battery tender specialists, and DOTchain experts.
Anna Harrison has stepped into the role of Global Director People & Organization at ARX Robotics. Before, she was in the role of Interim Global Director at the company.
Ukrainian UAV manufacturer Vyriy is searching for an instructor at a training center for equipment assembly and soldering.
INFERNO is a self-guided, automatic electromagnetic device designed to protect vehicles and military equipment from all types of drones. It generates an electromagnetic wave that causes a voltage spike in the drone, resulting in a short circuit in components that are impossible to shield within the drone.
“We are in the prototyping stage and looking for partnerships with UGV manufacturers to develop the integration of this solution into their platforms,” said Roman Kohutanych, CEO & Founder of INFERNO.
BlueBird has updated its Genera-1200 and Genera-28 autonomous charging stations, the company told The Arsenal. Their resistance to physical damage has been improved—the Genera's reinforced metal housing can now withstand being run over by a military pickup truck and falling from a low height.
Genera charging station. Photo provided by BlueBird.
At the request of one of the territorial defense units, Roboneers, a developer of combat modules and UGVs, added a remote-controlled ShaBlia 2 turret to the Vepryk UGV, the company told The Arsenal. The brigade will be able to use this UGV not only for logistics but also for assault operations.
ShaBlіa 2 turret on the Vepryk UGV. Photo provided by Roboneers.
ARX Robotics, a European UGV developer, is increasing its GEREON fleet fivefold amid the expanding use of UGVs in Ukraine. Depending on operational needs and in ongoing coordination with the Ukrainian Defense Forces, additional functions and configurations may be integrated into the Gereon systems for mission execution, the company told The Arsenal.
The Inguar-3 MED armored evacuation vehicle from Inguar Defence has been modified with a high-speed ramp on rails to carry the stretcher and evacuate the wounded faster. Additionally, the troop compartment has been replaced with a medical compartment equipped with medical supplies and space for stretchers.
The European Defense Fund has allocated 180 million euros (about $210 million) to expand missile and ammunition production facilities for the war in Ukraine. This funding will go towards production facilities in both the EU and Ukraine.
Russia has begun mass production of Shahed-type drones modified to carry
R-60 missiles. This is part of Moscow’s efforts to create a Shahed capable of attacking Ukrainian helicopters and light aircraft.
UkrArmoTech has developed the UAT-TISA (OPM) tactical pyrotechnic vehicle for the Ukrainian Army’s sappers and the State Emergency Service. The vehicle was developed back in 2025 and has already undergone the necessary certification. Its body and floor are armored, and it features multi-layered glass for protection against bullets and mines.
President Zelenskyy announced reforms on salary, recruitment, and rotation in the military. All key details will be finalized in May, with the reforms to begin in June. Military salaries will be increased in accordance with the danger and difficulty of service. Additionally, a clear term will be established for contract service, after which the service member will have the right to be discharged.
TAF Industries, a UAV manufacturer, has launched production of the Legit UGV based on a design developed by its engineers in collaboration with military personnel from the Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate MoD. The military is already using it on the battlefield to transport ammunition, conduct reconnaissance, and provide fire support to assault brigades.
