Ukraine’s defense industry has grown 35 times, and it’s still not enough to stand up to Russia on its own – WSJ
19 May 12:16
Over the past three years, Ukraine’s defense industry has reached its maximum historical development, but this is still not enough to confront Russia on its own. This is stated in the article “Ukraine Is Making More Weapons Than Ever-but Still Can’t Fight Russia Alone” by The Wall Street Journal, "Komersant Ukrainian" writes.
More than NATO
Since 2022, Ukraine’s military-industrial complex has grown from $1 billion to $35 billion, the article says. While in 2022 the country had only one prototype of the domestic Bohdan howitzer, today Ukrainian enterprises produce more artillery systems than all NATO countries combined.
According to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, more than 40% of the weapons on the front line are already produced in Ukraine. Particular success has been achieved in the production of drones, ground drones, and electronic warfare systems, where this figure is close to 100%. The production of traditional weapons, such as artillery systems, armored vehicles, mines, and ammunition, is also increasing.
The development of the defense industry is of strategic importance for Ukraine, the article notes. It not only reduces dependence on international aid, but also creates prospects for the economy and integration with the West as a reliable arms supplier.
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The Danish model
However, despite impressive progress, Ukraine still cannot meet all its defense needs on its own. According to the newspaper, the state does not produce enough ammunition for continuous combat operations and does not have its own air defense systems.
According to presidential advisor Oleksandr Kamyshin, due to lack of funding, the government can purchase less than half of the production capacity of defense companies.
“It hurts when you cannot produce and have nothing to fight with. But it hurts twice as much when you can produce but have no money to buy it,”
– he was quoted as saying.
To solve this problem, some Western partners have begun to finance Ukrainian production directly, following the Danish model. Experts believe that investing directly in Ukrainian defense companies can be the most effective way to achieve results on the battlefield.
“Bohdan”
A good example is the production of the Bohdan howitzer, the publication writes. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the only prototype, which had previously been used only in parades, was sent to the front. Today, the plant produces more than 20 of these howitzers every month, while Russia produces about 40 guns in the same period.
“The Bohdana has a number of advantages: it is much cheaper than its Western counterparts (€2.8 million versus €8.76 million for the Swedish Archer) and has duplicated systems for reliability in combat. 85% of the howitzer’s components are produced in Ukraine, and mobile teams provide service along the entire front line.
Despite the successes, the industry faces serious challenges, the article says. For example, Ukrainian Armor’s project to produce 100,000 155 mm caliber shells was halted due to lack of government funding. However, as the authors note, the war in Ukraine has become a testing ground for various types of weapons and has provided NATO countries with valuable lessons on how to conduct modern warfare.
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