Ukraine's IT Sector Now Leads In Military Innovation

Before Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine, 27-year-old engineer Maxim Sheremet was manufacturing commercial drones.

Photo Insert: The Ukroboronprom facility in Ukraine

He worked for the state defense company Ukroboronprom in Ukraine, and later at Evolve Dynamics, a UK engineering company that specializes in unmanned aerial vehicles and remotely piloted aircraft systems and software, Agatha Gorski reported for Kyiv Independent.

“I produced commercial drones from a university age, but…back then, it was not needed at all,” he says. Then the full-scale war broke out. As Russia was gaining territory and Kyiv was at risk of siege, Sheremet decided to take action, Agatha Gorski reported for Kyiv Independent.

In March 2022, he assembled his own volunteer organization of 10 people piecing together attack drones from donated components to be used to strike Russian positions.

More than a year later, drones have become an essential part of the Ukrainian military arsenal. They are used to conduct surveillance, reconnaissance, and attacks on Russian forces and territory.

Drones also deliver supplies like medicine to Ukrainian positions and assist in evacuating civilians from front-line areas.

Sheremet’s organization has grown to include a research and development team with 20 employees and more than 100 volunteers, manufacturing hundreds of drones in its lab.

Drone Lab is not the only IT company in Ukraine working on developing innovative military technology. Before the war, Ukraine’s IT companies were transforming the country into an emerging digital leader. Now, these companies are also transforming Ukraine into a military innovator.

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