New Country, a special project by LB.ua and EFI Group, hosted its eighth panel discussion in Kyiv on 19 March to discuss the state of Ukrainian industry in the third year of the war.
The speakers of the panel: "How to win the war: prospects and challenges for Ukrainian industry" were:
- Andriy Lebedenko, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Hanna Hvozdyar, Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries and Industry of Ukraine;
- Herman Smetanin, Director General of Ukroboronprom;
- Serhiy Prytula, founder of the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation;
- Ihor Liski, supervisory board chairman of EFI Group.
How has the defence industry changed since the start of the full-scale invasion? Can we talk about supplying the frontline with Ukrainian-made weapons? What does Ukraine need in the first place and how can it meet its needs? Is private business sufficiently involved in these processes? What is the role of the volunteer community? Is there a weapon of victory? These were some of the issues raised during the discussion.
"A breakthrough (on the frontline - Ed.) can only be achieved through technology. And today, the state has created an innovative ecosystem that allows us to combine production, science and the Armed Forces of Ukraine," said Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Lebedenko.
According to Herman Smetanin, Director General of Ukroboronprom, over the past year, the enterprises of the Ukrainian Defence Industry JSC have doubled their output, having produced a thousand times more weapons and equipment than a year earlier.
"However the needs of the frontline today are greater than the production volumes of the entire Ukrainian defence industry and most of the defence industries in Europe and the world. Today, we are at war with a country that spends huge amounts of money from the state budget to purchase weapons and military equipment. Only a handful of countries in the world can compete with it, as they can afford such expenditures," Smetanin said.
Despite this, Hanna Hvozdyar, Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries and Industry of Ukraine, noted that more Ukrainian weapons and equipment of various types are being deployed to the frontline.
"I agree that innovation and technological development are the key to victory for us, but we cannot forget about traditional weapons, the production of which we need to increase, and we are increasing. And about the positions that need to be improved on a daily basis. In fact, good communication with the Armed Forces of Ukraine gives us the opportunity to improve and upgrade our weapons and equipment every day, so I believe that this will bear fruit very soon," Hvozdyar said.
"If we want to be a subject, if we want a real victory, if we want a long-term, real independence, we have to provide ourselves with ammunition. Not just to add a little bit, but to produce a full cycle," said businessman Ihor Liski. In his opinion, the involvement of private business in the defence industry is not sufficient today.
According to Serhiy Prytula, Ukraine should think about new markets - in the context of arms production - and new partnerships.
"We welcome the news that Rheinmetall is looking to open four plants in Ukraine. We welcome the news that the Swedes will produce armoured vehicles in Ukraine. Baykar is coming here to make Bayraktar, Akinci, etc. But maybe we should try to enter the Czech Republic with Ukrainian money. In Bulgaria, all the factories that produce 152mm shells work for us. But this is obviously not enough. We need to go to, I don't know, Bosnia, anywhere. Try to open some joint ventures," the volunteer suggested.
The full discussion, as well as the speeches of all the speakers, will be published on LB.ua shortly.
