## Ukraine’s Government Defence Technologies Countering  russian’s Invasion

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the defence sector has undergone rapid advancements in digitalization and innovation. These efforts aim to streamline bureaucracy, optimise logistics, safeguard the population, and neutralise enemy assets. However, the groundwork for these developments was laid following the 2014 Russian aggression, with an initial focus on the creation of a situational awareness program. In 2023, the Ukrainian Government unveiled the WINWIN Global Innovation Vision of Ukraine 2030, positioning defence technology (defence-tech) as one of the priorities for capital investment. This article highlights the cutting-edge digital and innovative technologies empowering Ukraine to navigate and withstand the existential war. At the same time, the Defence Tech solutions outlined in this article are not comprehensive, as they encompass only those that have been officially publicly presented to the broader audience.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, serving as the principal authority in driving digital innovation and spearheading technological advancements, is intensifying its strategic efforts to enhance capabilities in modern warfare. In March 2022, the Ministry announced the eVorog chatbot to fight against the foe and obtain data about the movement of enemy convoys of equipment or personnel provided by civilians to Ukraine’s Armed Forces in just a few clicks. The Defence Forces repeatedly describe the chatbot as «critical supplementary eyes» to detect and monitor enemy equipment within temporarily occupied territories. According to evidence, the bot has already been used by 628,000 Ukrainians, and one user submitted a record 347 reports.To enhance cross-border collaboration among SMEs, startups, government entities, defence forces, and investors, the Ministry launched the Brave1 platform, serving as the primary gateway for stakeholders in defence technology innovation. The team is dedicated to delivering financial, informational, and organizational support to ensure technological superiority over the enemy and secure Ukraine’s victory. As of December 2024, over 1,400 Ukrainian defence tech innovators have registered on the platform, representing more than 3,200 unique defence tech developments. Given the results of Ukraine’s Drone Industry Research, the nationwide drone ecosystem includes several obstacles, for instance, insufficient financing, strin gent export restrictions and so on. These findings highlight the critical need to drive defence innovation forward bringing together the key enablers in this field.  In July 2022, the Ministry Digital Transformation launched the Army of Drones project to comprehensively develop military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems in Ukraine and the full provision of drones to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, initiated in response to the Russian Federation's military invasion of Ukraine. After two years, in October 2024, the opportunity to join the Army of Drones became available through the Diia application. Following submission, applicants undergo an interview process, and upon successful completion, a formal contract is executed. What additional strategies does Ukraine employ to achieve its objectives in defence and military technology? The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine serves as a critical driving force in this endeavour. The first prominent solution is DELTA, an advanced system designed to provide Ukrainian defenders with real-time, verified intelligence on enemy activities while facilitating seamless coordination among defence forces. The DELTA is developed by the Center for Innovation and Development of defence Technologies under the Ministry of defence of Ukraine. The DELTA is leveraged by commanders for planning operations and combat tasks, coordinating with other units, securely exchanging information about adversary’s force locations and so on. Per the Ministry of Defence release, since the full-scale invasion by russia, DELTA has destroyed over $15 billion worth of their equipment.  Another innovative defence solution introduced by the Ministry of defence is the Reserve+ application, which enables reservists to seamlessly update their personal information for the national Oberig registry. Within the first three months of its launch, over 2 million Ukrainians successfully updated their data through Reserv+. Now this figure is about 3.5 million records. The application offers services such as uploading reservation data to an electronic military record, and automatic submission of deferment applications, online recruitment and convenieng job search in the military etc.  The summer of 2024 was shaping the lives of Ukrainian soldiers when the Ministry of Defence published the Army+ application. The Ministry has shared the ambition to eliminate bureaucracy in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, providing electronic report submission. The Army+ application provides 19 distinct report types, organized into four key categories: Leave, Assistance, Health, and Change of duty station. The Navy became the first branch of the Armed Forces to fully integrate the Army+ application. Every military unit within the Navy has processed at least one electronic report, which was subsequently either approved or rejected, with the rationale provided, through the Army+ platform.Ukrainian executives have promoted the need to make the national army more transparent and convenient. In the summer of 2024, the Ministry conceived the MoD Partner webportal to expand the circle of suppliers of quality rear property for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and enhance effective communication between the government and businesses.In the last year, the Ministry of defence has approved using the interactive training system – UNITS – that is designed for individual and group training in firearm proficiency for military personnel. The system is mobile and quickly deployed at a chosen location if needed. During the simulation of a firing exercise on the simulator, users can select terrain types such as urban, forest, or field environments. Moreover, the UNITS enables the practice of basic shooter skills (correct stance, breathing, weapon handling, aiming, smooth trigger pull) and a wide range of situational shooting exercises.Following defence technology produced by Ukraine’s government, civic citizens are equipped with two solutions to protect themselves. The first one is the Air Alarm application to notify users of air, chemical, technological, or other types of alerts from the civil defence system, even in the silent mode of a smartphone. It does not require registration. The second one is Shos letyt bot - @rusrocketfly_bot - developed by Lviv Regional Military Administration and IT company. The bot allows anyone to report a threat in the sky (rocket, drone, or aircraft). Then, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are informed about the threat. To have access to the bot, citizens should be authenticated through the Diia application. It should be notable the ongoing full-scale war is a barometer of smooth cooperation between SMEs and the army. In May 2022, the Alty software company aligned with the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the RKIN tracker app (that means “russian warship, go fuck yourself”). It assists to receive information about the losses of tanks, aircraft, and other military equipment in one place based on the information from the Ministry of defence of Ukraine official website. In conclusion, the Ukrainian government strives not only to advance the defence technologies, particularly in military tech, but also to foster cooperation with entrepreneurs and innovators to develop groundbreaking GovTech solutions that drive Ukraine's ultimate victory.