The Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine: “Our goal is to remove people from the front and replace them with machines” |

Two days following this interview, held on Sunday, events confirmed the words of Oleksandr Kamyshin (kyiv, 39 years old). Dozens of drones allegedly launched by Kiev – which has not yet acknowledged responsibility for the attack – hit the Russian provinces of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tula, Oryol, Bryansk, Nizhny and Novgorod on Monday and Tuesday, some at more than 1,000 kilometers of its territory, and the closest ones are Voronezh, Belgorod and Kursk. The Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine highlights these successes of his country’s military technology to show it to its Western allies, not as a mere beneficiary of war supplies, but as a reliable and competitive technological partner for the EU and NATO, with an ongoing war with a superpower that allows it to instantly test the most advanced unmanned devices on land, sea and air.

Stopping being a burden on the West requires these countries to invest in the local arms industry and thus generate economic and strategic benefits for both parties. “Spain is capable of producing 155 millimeter ammunition on a large scale,” he says regarding the security agreement that he is currently negotiating with the Government of Pedro Sánchez.

Ask. After this summer’s counteroffensive, the conflict has become a costly war of attrition in which Ukraine fights once morest one of the main weapons producers, also far superior in number of troops. Will Ukraine be able to bear the costs of such a war?

Answer. Our defense industry is growing. It was good in Soviet times, but then we neglected it. Now it is growing once more and is capable of growing even more. We finance ourselves with the resources that the market gives us and we look for internal and external financing sources. But regardless of what we can produce, we will continue to depend on supplies from the West. I am very grateful to Spain for its support during these 746 days of war. We would never have been able to resist Russia without the support of our allies, only with our resources and our funds. If we add the capabilities of the defense industries of the European Union, those of the United States and those of Ukraine, they would not be sufficient once morest the Russian military industry either. They have not stopped developing in the last two decades. They have grown non-stop.

P. In recent months, Ukraine has suffered from its dependence on the West. Aid from the United States is not arriving because of the elections, there is a global lack of ammunition and some countries like Germany are hesitant to give them long-range missiles like the Taurus. How are they going to reduce that dependency?

R. We will never stop being dependent because no country alone can confront Russia solely with the capabilities of its military industry. But we are trying to reduce the burden on our allies and produce more ourselves. If we talk regarding long-range missiles, some countries justify not giving us those weapons because they fear that we will use them on Russian territory. The world has seen that we can already hit the most distant targets inside Russia with weapons built in Ukraine. In recent cases we have reached targets beyond Moscow with our own devices.

P. Ukraine wants to stop being a simple beneficiary of Western aid and become a partner. What can you offer allies?

R. Ukraine will be part of the EU and NATO. It is not yet known when, but it is a fact that it will happen. That will be good for both organizations. Not only for our army, which fights non-stop, but also for the defense industry. Our industry is already capable of producing many things. From 155 caliber self-propelled artillery systems to armored vehicles and drones. We can now invoice products that would be complementary for both the EU and NATO. Our products are also competitive in price. That is why Ukraine’s entry into these organizations will bring benefits to our partners.

P. What specific products can Ukraine supply to its partners?

R. From conventional to long-range weapons. Also products that have emerged in this war, such as technological warfare devices, drones and naval drones that have never been used before. It is something that we have used extensively for the first time in this war and that has given us the ability to attack the Russian fleet in Crimea. We have sunk much of their fleet with our small fleet of naval drones.

P. Creating a competitive and multinational military industry in the middle of war is a difficult task. How does kyiv plan to achieve this goal while fighting Russia?

R. Our growth is good, but it will never be enough. There are definitely areas where it is, but in others it is not. We are facing scarce funding. We know that we might produce more than we have if we had more resources at our disposal. We have never spent so much on defense. For years we have been a peaceful, agriculture-focused country. Now we need to spend more. That is why, for example, we ask NATO countries that have promised us a million drones to buy them from Ukrainian arms companies. We’re able to produce them, we’re competitively priced, and it’s the fastest way to help each other and get those drones to the front lines. We know what works and we know how to build it quickly and get it to the front.

P. Currently, you are negotiating a security treaty with Spain. How is the Spanish military industry going to help Ukraine?

R. It’s not just regarding helping Ukraine. It is regarding developing joint defense capabilities. Spain has important companies such as Expal or Santa Bárbara. It can produce 155-millimeter projectiles on a large scale. If Spain produces more, this would help Ukraine, Spain and the joint capabilities of both countries. After signing the treaty there will be agreements between arms companies from both countries, businesses from which we will all benefit.

P. Former army chief Valeri Zaluzhni recently stated on CNN that to win this war technology is needed and that heavy weapons are not so important. You surprised the world with your ability to build drones and quickly put them on the front lines. But lately the Russians have caught up with them in that area. What new devices is Ukraine preparing?

R. Last year the challenge was to produce technology and we achieved it. This year, the challenge is to coordinate, integrate and manage. Use technology correctly. President [Volodímir] Zelensky has announced the creation of a new unmanned systems force (in addition to the Army, Navy and Air Force). This year will be the year of artificial intelligence and its use in proximity swarms. On the front there will also be new terrestrial technological devices. We want to get as many people out of the front lines as we can and put in machines. We have already tested unmanned ground devices on the front lines that kept the Russians at bay for 40 days. Technology is the key in this war, that’s why we have to learn faster to use it immediately. We have to increase its production.

P. What are the prospects for Ukraine in the war in the medium and long term?

R. In 2022 we fight with the support of the West and what we had of Soviet heritage. 2022 was the year in which Ukraine became a testing ground for this weaponry. 2023 was the year we started producing ourselves and the industry continues to grow. It doesn’t matter when we win this war, because the defense industry will remain strategic for Ukraine, the EU and NATO. Democracies must always be better armed than dictatorships and Russia will always be at our doors. We have to be strong enough to not allow them back in.

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