At the invitation of the organizers, I arrived at the largest military weapons exhibition in Europe, Eurosatory.
Here, together with the team, we are looking for innovative solutions for our own developments. The main task is to improve our means of protecting critical infrastructure. There are many meetings because the best and largest suppliers of weapons and equipment from all over the civilized world gather here.
Representatives from the United States, Great Britain, China, India, Sweden, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Turkey, Germany, Poland have come to showcase more than 2000 of their own developments. The scale is impressive. The atmosphere is captivating — an incredible number of people are genuinely concerned about Ukraine’s future. Our friends from Lithuania and Latvia separately expressed gratitude for what our country is doing to protect all of Europe.
Ukrainian manufacturers, who work directly with the front line, have also come to France. Companies that best understand the challenges and changes brought by a new format of war.
The Russo-Ukrainian war is changing rapidly, prompting the need for changes in the defense sector not only for Ukraine but worldwide. Today, the main exhibits and discussion topics are drones, guided bombs, and ground robotic complexes. This is the foundation of the current war and the direction to move forward.
The development of defense projects should become one of our key priorities if we want to stop Russia.
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What do Ukrainian manufacturers say at the global defense and security exhibition Eurosatory 2026?
The capabilities of Ukrainian innovations for the Armed Forces are growing. However, our manufacturers complain that the vast potential of domestic defense production is restricted by the capabilities of the Ministry of Defense and the state budget. It should be considered that they operate under a complete export ban.
We are actively collaborating with the Ministry of Defense on legislative regulation of export issues. To allow Ukrainian manufacturers to sell abroad the products they cannot market in Ukraine.
The export of Ukrainian defense products will help make Ukraine known worldwide, and other countries will be able to protect themselves from possible Russian invasion. The country will also gain financial resources to develop technological research. This is exactly what we need to stay one step ahead of the Russians.
We do not object to defense manufacturers paying an additional export tax, which should be directed to funding the Armed Forces, but there must be uniform rules for everyone.
| Our day at Eurosatory 2026 was very busy. I was glad to see familiar faces. We are well acquainted with most Ukrainian manufacturers, having had joint projects or ongoing collaborations in technology production. We discussed interesting potential collaborations with other manufacturers and shared experiences.
Our team will do everything possible to help the Ukrainian defense industry develop and make our Armed Forces modern and technological. * * * Found a secret Ukrainian weapon at Eurosatory 2026 – “crazy bees.” Took them apart very quickly 🙂 . There’s immense interest in everything Ukrainian, especially developments and technologies, at the arms exhibition. Our defense production is competitive, and we can be proud of it. |
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At the defense exhibition Eurosatory 2026, you can see the future today.
Drones that find targets on their own. Robots that replace humans in the most dangerous areas. Artificial intelligence that analyzes the battlefield faster than a human.
Here the future is not predicted — it is demonstrated. And among all these technologies, one feeling remains with me: Ukraine has become one of those shaping the future.
Once, we came to such exhibitions to learn. Today, others come to learn from us. As one of the leading arms company’s heads told me, it is the Ukrainian military and engineers who wrote the new textbook of modern warfare. And, by the way, they wrote it not in offices or laboratories, but in the trenches of Donbas and the skies over Kyiv.
Our experience is meticulously studied by military around the world. Because Ukrainian drones, electronic warfare systems, and counterintelligence measures have become the new standard.
Although many manufacturers still live in the past. For example, I noticed anti-drone guns at several stands that are not very effective in our realities today.
But the war against Russia proved a simple thing: the future belongs not to individual weapons. The future belongs to a system where artificial intelligence, UAVs, electronic warfare, and interceptor drones work as one organism.
Because our greatest value is people. Ukrainian soldiers who need to be protected by new technologies. This is the future. And today, our soldiers protect the opportunity to create such new technologies.
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This morning started with pillars of black smoke and “flying saucers” over Moscow.
And while Russia is urgently seeking ways to conserve fuel for its army and plans to import fuel and lubricants by sea, — missiles and naval drones are already waiting for them.
But there is still plenty of fuel in Russia, much to burn, so today we continue negotiations with weapons suppliers at Eurosatory 2026 in France, one of the largest defense exhibitions in the world. We are looking for new solutions that will help Russian defense industries, refineries, and the fleet feel the Ukrainian warmth.
We are also looking for solutions that can protect us from Russian attacks. Behind me is the American VAMPIRE with Thales missiles. They travel twice the speed of sound, and such weapons effectively destroy drones. I have good news: we have had great negotiations with Thales and the American side, and together with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, we might invest in joint production of missiles against drones.
A particular pride — Ukrainian manufacturers at the exhibition. We have worked with almost all of them, purchasing equipment for the Armed Forces. Not long ago, no one had heard of them, and today these are world-class companies with advanced technologies.
We are also looking for solutions for our own developments here. We want to improve the “Ai-Petri” complex, and there are already several solutions, but no spoilers, — let it be a surprise 😉
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Eurosatory 2026 once again confirmed: the war of the future is already underway. And it is Ukraine today that is the country whose combat experience is changing the approaches of the world’s largest defense companies. What existed only as concepts a few years ago, Ukrainian soldiers are already using on the battlefield.
In these days, we had numerous meetings with weapon manufacturers, defense company representatives, and our international partners. We talked about specific solutions for the front: protecting Ukrainian cities from drones, strengthening air defense, developing drones, missile systems, robotic platforms, and electronic warfare means.
One of the most important meetings was about the VAMPIRE system and Thales missiles, capable of effectively destroying Russian strike drones. We discussed the possibility of joint investment in the production of affordable and effective anti-drone missiles involving Ukraine and our partners from the Baltic countries. We can’t wait for someone to provide us with enough weapons. They need to be produced together — quickly, massively, and right now.
Separately, we sought technologies that can enhance our “Ai-Petri” complex. At the exhibition, we saw several promising solutions that can make it even more effective in countering Russian reconnaissance and strike means.
The most striking impression at Eurosatory is the presence of Ukrainian manufacturers. Companies, which until recently were known only to the military and volunteers, are today confidently competing with the largest players in the global market. Ukrainian drones, electronic warfare systems, missiles, guided munitions, software, and hardware solutions attract attention because they are backed by real combat experience.
The main conclusion of this exhibition is simple: modern warfare is not won by a single ultra-modern missile or individual drone. Victory belongs to a system in which intelligence, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, intercept drones, and strike capabilities work together. And all of this must serve the main goal — to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and give them a technological advantage over the enemy.
