In an op-ed for Ukrainska Pravda, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Umerov outlined the ongoing reforms and reported that over six months, his ministry had approved 344 new weapon systems and military equipment for use by the Armed Forces. Notably, 244 of these 344 systems, equating to over 70%, were produced domestically within Ukraine.
Last September, following Oleksii Reznikov’s resignation amid a series of army procurement scandals reported in the media, Rustem Umerov, the former chief of the State Property Fund, took over as Ukraine’s Defense Minister. After six months in office, Umerov highlights the initial accomplishments of his team in an op-ed.
In the op-ed, Umerov detailed the ministry’s efforts to streamline the approval process for new equipment, reducing the time required for operational clearance from months to just 20 days. This expedited timeline has enabled the Ukrainian military to more rapidly field essential capabilities to troops on the frontlines.
Rustem Umerov emphasized that 47 of the newly approved systems were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and 31 were electronic warfare (EW) platforms. He stressed the importance of these emerging technologies in the current conflict, noting that “modern war cannot be imagined without drones and electronic warfare.”
The Defense Minister also highlighted the ministry’s work to build international defense coalitions through the Ramstein Contact Group format. Eight separate capability-focused coalitions have been established with partner countries, allowing Ukraine to secure commitments for increased supplies of critical weaponry such as artillery munitions, air defense missiles, and unmanned aerial systems.
To further bolster Ukraine’s innovative defense capabilities, the Defense Ministry has united over 500 Ukrainian developers into an “innovators’ community.” This initiative aims to accelerate the fielding of novel defense solutions for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
