Ukraine’s real-world combat experience, combined with Western industrial capabilities, is helping the country lead in military innovation, senior Ukrainian officials said at a briefing on Thursday, March 5.
Combat experience gives Ukraine an edge
Colonel Vitalii Dobriansky, head of the Central Directorate for Innovation Activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told reporters that Russia’s full-scale war has given Ukraine an advantage in testing and developing innovative military solutions.
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“Many armies around the world are preparing for future conflicts but lack real combat experience,” he said.
The briefing was also attended by Brigadier General Andrii Lebedenko, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Major Andrii Kovalyov, a media relations officer at the Public Affairs Directorate of the General Staff.
Testing on the front line
According to Colonel Dobriansky, most testing of new weapons systems is conducted in Ukraine. Collaborative projects with foreign partners allow Ukrainian forces to evaluate other countries’ military equipment in real combat conditions.
Currently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have agreements to test advanced systems abroad, partly due to regulatory and airspace restrictions in some countries, particularly for drone operations.
Dobriansky noted that Ukraine can provide “combat-proven” validation for new technologies while highlighting the challenges of international testing.
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