Start-up Technology In Ukraine Turns To Military Projects To Help War Against Russia

Drone Defender Ukraine's star-up design (photo: twitter @News5PH)

JAKARTA - A number of startups in Ukraine's dynamic technology sector have turned to developing military projects after Russia attacked Ukraine. One such startup is a company engaged in the development of a medical and biotechnology startup that decided to join the Ukrainian military forces and develop a new drone for military purposes.

Within two months, the Ukrainian government gave the company permission to move on to developing military technology. They then moved to Poland to secure seed funding from a Polish company, Air Res Aviation, to develop a new drone for the Ukrainian military.

"We have our own portfolio of pre-war civilian medical and biotechnology projects," Jerzy Nowak, president and owner of Air Res Aviation, told Reuters. "We never dreamed of killing people. We wanted to heal people but the situation changed."

The drone, named Defender, is ready to be tested and is designed to withstand bad weather conditions and be able to fly vertically and carry heavy loads. This is an example of how some startups in Ukraine are turning to developing military technology that can help Ukraine's understaffed and armed military forces.

"The Ukrainian people are pushed on a numerical scale: in terms of troop numbers; in terms of numbers when it comes to equipment. But they are holding out," said a senior NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "One of the reasons they have stayed is that they have integrated technology into warfare in very innovative ways."

Ukrainian officials and entrepreneurs stated that the development of technology by these startups had a positive impact on the battlefield, from software applications that can target enemy positions more quickly, to civilian drones adapted for military purposes, and systems that integrate data for providing commanders with a more detailed view of the battlefield.

Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine was one of the most developed technology centers in Central and Eastern Europe. The value of startup companies in Ukraine increased ninefold between 2017 and 2022 to 23 billion euros, according to data from Dealroom.com. Ukraine also has the advantage of producing competent graduates in mathematics and computer science, as well as relatively low production costs.

However, most startup companies in Ukraine are more focused on the domestic market and are experiencing a decline in demand following the war that has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed cities and infrastructure in Ukraine.

The Government of Ukraine through the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF), an organization that supports the development of startup technology, has given back the funds in October 2022 and hopes to finance around five to ten new companies each month with grants of up to 35.000 US dollars (IDR 522.6 million). Most of these projects will focus on military technology.

In addition, USF plans to launch a new platform in April 2023 to connect startups with the military, in order to identify needs on the battlefield and accelerate the transformation of ideas into tools that can be used in conflict. The Ukrainian government hopes to use the new technology to aid their troops and develop new approaches quickly on the battlefield.

'If you have something innovative and efficient, it will definitely be used by the army. We need new technologies to fight the enemy and be able to try different approaches in real time," said Pavlo Kartashov, director of the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF), as quoted by Reuters.