Kyiv Is Relying On Free Market To Add Weapons

When Andriy Bondarenko, a tech entrepreneur, began making drones, he had no experience with weapons. Working with a friend, it took him one month to develop a prototype, which they paid for with their own money.

- IAN LOVETT AND NIKITA NIKOLAIENKO

A month later, their first explosive land drones were at the front, crossing muddy terrain to strike Russian trenches. No government contracts or approvals were required.

Just over a year later, Bondarenko's company, Ark Robotics, has raised more than $1 million from investors, released 20 updated versions of its original drone, and is working on a communications system that lets pilots control drones from farther away.

Facing an invasion by an enemy with four times its population and an economy 10 times larger, Ukraine has tried to build up its weapons production by embracing a hypercapitalist model.

Encouraged by tax cuts, deregulation and government grants, more than 200 new munitions companies have sprung up since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainian officials said. Though they make everything from ammunition to gunpowder, most, like Ark Robotics, primarily produce drones.