# In Kyiv, the ZBROYA Portal Reveals a War Industry That's Accelerating

> I am writing this letter because I believe you still underestimate what is happening, every week, in Ukrainian ministry offices and factories.

- Author: Maxime Marquette
- Publisher: MadMax (https://mad-max.co)
- Section: Open letter
- Published: 2026-07-07
- Canonical URL: https://mad-max.co/en/article/a-kyiv-le-portail-zbroya-revele-une-industrie-de-guerre-qui-s-accelere

## Introduction: a letter to those who still doubt Ukraine's industry

### Dear reader who still doubts

I am writing this letter because I believe you still underestimate what is happening, every week, in Ukrainian ministry offices and factories. The official portal **ZBROYA.gov.ua**, **Kyiv's** platform for tracking **defense contracts**, revealed in early **July 2026** a notable increase in the number of **defense contracts** signed, an industrial signal few Western outlets have taken the time to explain clearly.

This contractual acceleration comes alongside several concrete developments: a **Drone Deal** approval process cut to roughly thirty days, a major industrial event called **Brave1 Advantage**, and ongoing talks with **Sweden** over the **Gripen** fighter jet. Three separate files, one shared direction: **Ukraine** is structuring its **defense industry** to last.

### Why I am writing this letter now

I am writing now because these developments, taken in isolation, seem technical and unspectacular. But put together, they tell a larger story: that of a country at war refusing to simply wait for outside aid, and methodically building the foundations of a **defense industry** capable of sustaining it over the long term.

Let me state upfront the limits of this letter: I do not have the complete details of every contract listed on **ZBROYA**, nor a final official confirmation on the acquisition of the Swedish **Gripen**, which remains at the discussion stage according to available information.

*I write this letter with a simple conviction: while some still debate Western fatigue, Ukraine is methodically building the tools of its own industrial survival. That deserves to be told.*

## ZBROYA, the portal that makes the invisible visible

### A platform of contractual **transparency**

The **ZBROYA.gov.ua** portal, developed by **Ukraine's Ministry of Defense**, serves as a centralized platform for tracking **defense contracts**, offering unusual visibility into the contractual activity of a sector normally marked by significant opacity, including in the most established Western democracies.

This relative **transparency**, rare in the defense sector during wartime, allows observers, journalists, and analysts to track the evolution of Ukraine's defense industry without relying solely on the government's occasional announcements, a notable methodological advance for anyone seeking to document this war with **rigor**.

### What July's figures reveal

Data published in early July on **ZBROYA** show an increase in the number of defense contracts signed compared with previous months, a trend that reflects both the acceleration of Ukraine's national production and the intensification of partnerships with foreign suppliers under the new **export** and procurement mechanisms put in place by **Kyiv**.

This contractual increase, while positive, does not necessarily translate immediately and proportionally into an equivalent improvement in **front-line** supply, a classic time lag between signing a contract and actually delivering military equipment.

*A platform that makes defense contracts visible in the middle of a war is a rare **transparency** choice I want to salute. Too many Western democracies could learn from it for their own military procurement.*

## The Drone Deal, thirty days to approve a contract

### A welcome administrative acceleration

The **Drone Deal** mechanism, which allows Ukrainian manufacturers to export part of their drone production in exchange for a revenue share with the state, now benefits from an approval process cut to roughly **thirty days**, a notable acceleration compared with the previous bureaucratic delays that sometimes needlessly held back companies in the sector.

This procedural speed, documented in early-July government announcements, is part of the broader reform of Ukraine's **export** industry, a reform driven by **Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko** and **Minister Mykhailo Fedorov**, in a coordinated effort to turn the **defense industry** into a durable source of revenue.

### A risk of haste not to be ignored

This administrative acceleration nonetheless carries an implicit risk: cutting approval times to thirty days could, in some cases, limit Ukrainian authorities' ability to conduct thorough checks on the end-users of these exports, a control issue that remains crucial to avoid any diversion toward sensitive markets.

This tension between economic speed and control **rigor** is a challenge **Kyiv** will need to manage carefully in the months ahead, as the volume of contracts processed under this accelerated framework likely continues to grow.

*Thirty days to approve a weapons **export** is fast, arguably risky. But I understand the urgency: Ukraine no longer has the luxury of a slow bureaucracy when every signed contract finances its own defense.*

## Brave1 Advantage, the showcase of Ukrainian **innovation**

### An event bringing together the military **innovation** ecosystem

The **Brave1 Advantage** event, organized under Ukraine's defense **innovation** ecosystem **Brave1**, served as a showcase for the technological advances developed by Ukrainian companies and startups in the military sector, a sector that has seen remarkable growth since the **Russian invasion** began in 2022.

This event illustrates the maturing of Ukraine's innovation ecosystem, which in just a few years has moved from scattered, improvised initiatives to an organized structure capable of presenting its technological advances before an audience of potential partners, **investors**, and government representatives.

### What this showcase means for the industrial future

Holding such an event in the middle of an active war reflects Ukraine's determination to project an image of dynamism and industrial competence, a message aimed as much at foreign partners as at the Ukrainian population itself, which needs tangible signs that its country continues to innovate despite the hardships of the conflict.

This symbolic dimension, combined with the potential concrete economic benefits for participating companies, makes **Brave1 Advantage** a representative example of Ukraine's strategy of turning wartime necessity into a durable engine of technological innovation.

*Organizing a technology showcase event in the middle of a war is a bold bet that commands respect. Ukraine refuses to be reduced to the sole narrative of survival; it wants to also be seen as a country that innovates.*

## The Swedish Gripen, a still-uncertain path

### Talks underway, without final confirmation

Talks concerning a possible acquisition by **Ukraine** of the Swedish **Gripen** fighter jet, made by **Saab**, are underway between **Kyiv** and **Stockholm**, according to information available in early July. These talks, however, have not yet resulted in a confirmed final agreement, and I want to state that clearly to avoid any confusion about the actual state of this file.

The **Gripen** offers several potential advantages for **Ukraine**, notably its ability to operate from short and damaged runways, an important tactical asset in a war context where Ukrainian air infrastructure remains a regular target of Russian strikes aimed at limiting **Kyiv's** air operational capacity.

### What acquiring such an aircraft would change

If these talks led to a concrete agreement, integrating the **Gripen** into the Ukrainian arsenal would add to the **F-16** aircraft already delivered by several Western allies, further diversifying Ukraine's combat **air fleet** and reducing **dependence** on a single aircraft type for air operations against Russian forces.

This **diversification**, if it materializes, would also strengthen the logistical **resilience** of Ukrainian aviation, as a fleet made up of several aircraft types is generally harder to neutralize entirely than a homogeneous fleet dependent on a single supplier and a single maintenance chain.

*I remain cautious about the Gripen: talking about discussions is not the same as signing a contract. But if Stockholm confirms this deal, it would be one more signal that Russia's **diplomatic isolation** keeps growing.*

## What this contractual acceleration reveals about Ukrainian strategy

### A deliberate **diversification** of supply sources

All of these developments, from the accelerated **Drone Deal** to the **Brave1 Advantage** event to the talks on the **Gripen**, sketch a coherent Ukrainian strategy of **diversifying** its military supply sources, reducing **dependence** on a limited number of suppliers or donor countries.

This strategic diversification, documented by the rise in contracts on **ZBROYA**, reflects a lesson learned the hard way over **four years** of war: relying exclusively on a few major Western donors exposes **Kyiv** to the internal political vagaries of those countries, a risk that contractual diversification partly helps mitigate.

### A bet on the long haul rather than urgency

This approach also reflects a shift in strategic posture: after the early years of war marked by crisis-driven management, **Ukraine** now appears to be building more durable institutional mechanisms, designed to sustain its defense effort over several years rather than simply responding to immediate crises.

This institutional maturation, if it holds over time, could be one of the most significant developments of this phase of the war, gradually transforming Ukraine's approach from permanent crisis management toward medium-term strategic planning.

*What I see in these three combined files is a Ukraine that is ceasing to simply survive day to day and starting to plan its defense over several years. That may be the most important shift of this war in 2026.*

## The limits of this contractual transparency

### Data that does not tell everything

Despite the relative transparency offered by the **ZBROYA** portal, some sensitive information necessarily remains confidential for operational security reasons, notably the precise technical details of certain military contracts or the full identity of certain suppliers and end-recipients involved in these deals.

This partial confidentiality, while understandable in the context of an active war, limits independent observers' ability to fully verify all the information published, a reality that calls for methodological caution about the exact figures cited in this letter.

### Necessary **vigilance** over where the money goes

This letter also does not claim to guarantee the total absence of dysfunction or irregularities in the management of these contracts, a **governance** issue that Ukrainian authorities and their **Western partners** must continue to monitor closely, given the growing scale of the sums involved in this rapidly expanding defense industry.

This **vigilance** over **governance**, in my view, is inseparable from any sincere support for Ukraine's war effort: supporting **Ukraine** does not mean turning a blind eye to the risks of **corruption** or mismanagement that can accompany any rapid acceleration of public contracts.

*I say this plainly because I believe true **solidarity** means holding high standards: supporting Ukraine also means demanding rigorous **governance** of these contracts, not just applauding every new announcement.*

## What Western allies are observing in this dynamic

### An appreciated signal of institutional maturity

This contractual acceleration and the relative transparency offered by **ZBROYA** are being followed with interest by **Ukraine's** Western allies, for whom they represent an encouraging signal of institutional maturity, a valuable argument in domestic political debates over the durability of financial and military support for **Kyiv**.

This institutional maturity could strengthen **Western partners'****confidence** in Ukrainian management mechanisms, potentially facilitating new industrial **cooperation** agreements or new financial commitments in the months following these announcements.

### An interest that goes beyond the purely military

This Western interest, moreover, extends beyond the immediate military framework: several Western private **investors** are also closely following the development of Ukraine's defense industrial ecosystem, seeing potentially durable economic opportunities beyond the current period of active war alone.

This still-emerging economic dimension could prove decisive for **Ukraine's** future **reconstruction**, a solid and diversified defense industry potentially serving as one of the country's economic pillars in the event of a negotiated resolution of the conflict in the years ahead.

*Seeing Western **investors** take interest in Ukraine's defense industry beyond military urgency alone strikes me as an encouraging sign for the country's economic future, well after this war's hoped-for end.*

## The regional context behind these announcements

### Coordination with Nordic partners

The talks with **Sweden** over the **Gripen** fit into a broader context of growing **cooperation** between **Ukraine** and Nordic countries, several of which have stepped up their military and diplomatic support for **Kyiv** since the **Russian invasion** began, in line with their own heightened perception of the Russian threat in the Baltic region.

This Nordic coordination, documented by several analysts following relations between **Ukraine** and Northern Europe, reflects a growing strategic convergence among countries that share a border or direct geographic proximity with **Russia**, reinforcing their **solidarity** with **Kyiv** against a threat they see as directly tied to their own security.

### A signal sent to Moscow through this diversification

This diversification of Ukraine's industrial and military partnerships, potentially including **Sweden** alongside already established suppliers, also sends a political signal to **Moscow**: **Russia's** diplomatic and industrial **isolation** continues to widen, while the international support network for **Ukraine** diversifies and consolidates.

This signal, though still mostly symbolic at this stage of the **Gripen** discussions, adds to a set of developments that, taken together, depict a **Ukraine** increasingly well-connected to the broader Western industrial and military network.

*Every new industrial partner Ukraine gains, whether Sweden or another country, is also a partner Russia loses. This diplomatic geometry matters as much as the military deliveries themselves.*

## The structural challenges that persist despite these gains

### An industrial base still fragile in the face of war

Despite these encouraging developments, Ukraine's defense industry remains structurally fragile, facing persistent challenges such as Russian strikes directly targeting industrial facilities, skilled-labor shortages linked to military mobilization, and recurring energy constraints affecting production across the country.

These structural challenges remind us that the contractual acceleration documented on **ZBROYA**, however encouraging, does not by itself guarantee the full **resilience** of Ukraine's industrial apparatus against a war that continues to impose exceptional strains on the country's **economy**.

### A **resilience** built on constant adaptation

The resilience of Ukraine's defense industry relies largely on its capacity for constant adaptation to these constraints, an operational flexibility developed out of necessity over **four years** of war, but one that cannot indefinitely offset deeper structural deficits without sustained and predictable international support.

This reality calls for tempering the enthusiasm generated by recent **ZBROYA** announcements with an honest acknowledgment of the persistent vulnerabilities that continue to weigh on the entire Ukrainian war effort, despite undeniable progress on the contractual and institutional front.

*I refuse to give in to naive optimism. These contractual gains are real and deserve to be praised, but they must never make us forget the structural fragility of an industry operating under bombs every single day.*

## What this letter hopes to spark in you

### A closer look at the technical files

I write this letter hoping it will encourage you to look beyond this war's big, spectacular headlines, toward these more technical but equally decisive files: a contract-tracking portal, an accelerated approval process, an innovation event, talks over a fighter jet. It is in these details that a decisive part of Ukrainian resilience is being decided.

These files, less spectacular than drone strikes or diplomatic summit declarations, nonetheless deserve comparable attention, as they determine **Ukraine's** real capacity to sustain its war effort over several years, well beyond the immediate media coverage they generate.

### An invitation to informed **vigilance**

Through this letter, I invite you to become more demanding readers of this war, able to distinguish symbolic announcements from real institutional transformations, and to keep following these technical files in the months ahead to assess whether July **2026's** promises actually translate into concrete results on the ground.

It is this informed vigilance, more than any passing enthusiasm, that will truly measure whether **Ukraine** manages to turn its defense industry into a durable pillar of its resistance against **Russian aggression**.

*I ask you, in closing this section, for one simple effort: follow these technical files with as much attention as the big, spectacular announcements. It is often there, in the contractual details, that the outcome of this war is truly decided.*

## What this acceleration says about financing the war

### An industry becoming progressively self-sufficient

The contractual acceleration documented on **ZBROYA** fits into a broader trend of strengthening the financial self-sufficiency of Ukraine's war effort, where revenue generated by industrial contracts, including those tied to exports under the **Drone Deal**, is gradually supplementing the traditional outside financing **Kyiv** receives.

This financial evolution, if confirmed and amplified in coming months, could reduce **Ukraine's** **vulnerability** to political fluctuations in **Western support**, a particularly sensitive issue at a time when several allied capitals are openly debating the durability of their **financial commitment** to **Kyiv**.

### A still-fragile balance between **autonomy** and **dependence**

This balance between growing financial **autonomy** and persistent dependence on Western aid nonetheless remains fragile, as the scale of Ukrainian military needs still far exceeds what the national industry, however dynamic, can finance through its own contractual and commercial resources alone.

This reality reminds us that the gains documented on **ZBROYA**, however significant, do not replace the need for sustained, predictable **Western support**, without which **Ukraine** could not sustain its current war effort against a **Russia** with far greater resources.

*I welcome this emerging self-sufficiency, but I refuse to fool myself: Ukraine still needs its Western allies, and this letter never says otherwise. Industrial **autonomy** complements outside aid; it does not replace it.*

## What this means for Ukrainian companies in the sector

### An unprecedented growth opportunity for defense SMEs

This contractual acceleration and greater access to export markets represent an unprecedented growth opportunity for many small and medium-sized Ukrainian defense companies, often born out of wartime urgency, which now find, thanks to mechanisms like the **Drone Deal**, a clear legal framework to grow their business beyond the immediate needs of the **front**.

This entrepreneurial dynamic, documented by the growing number of contracts visible on **ZBROYA** and by active participation in events like **Brave1 Advantage**, could durably transform Ukraine's economic fabric, creating skilled jobs and technological expertise that will hopefully outlast this war alone.

### A sector now attracting talent

This growth in the defense sector is also attracting Ukrainian talent that, before the war, would probably have gone into other technology sectors, a reallocation of national skills toward the military industry that reflects both the necessity imposed by the conflict and the real economic opportunities this sector now offers.

This reallocation of talent, though born of tragic necessity, could leave a durable economic legacy for post-war **Ukraine**, with a defense technology sector capable of competing in **international markets** well beyond the current period of conflict.

*Seeing young Ukrainian talent choose the defense industry rather than emigrate touches me deeply. It is a form of quiet economic resistance that deserves to be told as much as military feats at the **front**.*

## One last caveat before closing this letter

### The need for continued independent verification

Before closing, I want to repeat one final essential methodological caveat: the figures and trends presented in this letter come from official Ukrainian sources, and I do not have access to a fully independent verification of each of these contracts listed on **ZBROYA**.

This caveat does not call into question the overall reality of the documented trend, but it calls for caution on the finer details, particularly regarding exact amounts and the full identities of the partners involved in some of these deals.

### Why this caution strengthens, rather than weakens, my support

This methodological caution in no way diminishes my sincere support for Ukraine's war effort: I believe, on the contrary, that support grounded in rigorous fact-checking is more durable and more credible than blind enthusiasm that ignores this file's legitimate gray areas.

This combination of committed support and factual **rigor** is what I try to maintain throughout this letter, and what I will continue to apply in my future writing on Ukraine's defense industry.

*I deeply believe one can support Ukraine sincerely while demanding factual rigor. These two requirements never conflict; they reinforce each other, especially in a file as complex as this one.*

## Conclusion: a letter that closes with a promise

### What these developments clearly establish

This letter has presented you three separate files, revealed or confirmed in early July **2026** on the **ZBROYA** portal: the acceleration of the **Drone Deal** to thirty days, the **Brave1 Advantage** event, and the ongoing talks over the Swedish **Gripen**. Together, they confirm an underlying trend: **Ukraine** is methodically structuring its defense industry for a war that could still last a long time.

This **institutional structuring**, documented by the relative transparency of the **ZBROYA** portal, deserves close attention from everyone genuinely interested in this conflict's future, beyond the diplomatic statements or daily military tallies that usually dominate media coverage.

### My promise as I close this letter

I promise to keep following these technical files in the coming months, to check whether the accelerated **Drone Deal** keeps its promises without compromising necessary controls, whether the technologies presented at **Brave1 Advantage** truly find their way to the front, and whether the talks over the **Gripen** lead to a concrete agreement with **Stockholm**.

It is this promise of rigorous follow-up, more than any passing declaration of enthusiasm, that I hope will justify your **trust** in this column in the months ahead.

*I close this letter as I began it: with the conviction that Ukraine is also fighting in its contract offices and factories, far from the cameras, and that this quiet battle deserves your attention as much as the front line itself.*

**By Maxime Marquette, columnist**

## Columnist's transparency note

### Editorial stance

I am not a journalist but a **columnist and analyst**. My expertise lies in observing and analysing the geopolitical, economic and strategic dynamics that shape our world. My work is to take political strategies apart, to understand global economic movements, to put the decisions of international actors in context and to offer analytical perspectives on the changes that are redefining our societies.

I do not claim the cold objectivity of traditional journalism, which stops at reporting facts. **I claim analytical clarity**, rigorous interpretation and a deep understanding of the complex issues that concern us all. My role is to give meaning to the facts, to place them in their historical and strategic context, and to offer a critical reading of events.

### Method and sources

This text keeps the basic distinction between **verified facts and interpretive analysis**. The rule never changes: a factual claim is published only when a verifiable source supports it, and the sources this article actually used are listed under **Sources**, never here.

**Primary source families** used by the publication, when the story has them: official statements from governments and international institutions, public statements by political leaders, reports from intergovernmental organisations, dispatches from recognised international news agencies.

**Secondary source families**: specialised publications, internationally recognised news media, analyses from established research institutions, reports from industry organisations.

When an article cites statistical, economic or geopolitical data, it comes from the institutions that produce it (intergovernmental organisations, central banks, national statistics offices), and the exact institution is named under **Sources**.

### Nature of the analysis

The analyses, interpretations and perspectives in the analytical sections of this article are a **critical, contextual synthesis** based on the information available, the trends observed and the expert comments cited in the sources consulted.

My role is to interpret these facts, to set them in the context of today's geopolitical and economic dynamics, and to give them a coherent meaning within the larger story of the changes shaping our time. These analyses reflect expertise built through continuous observation of international affairs and an understanding of the strategic mechanisms that drive global actors.

This article describes a documented state of affairs on its publication date, not a prediction: later developments may shift its outlook. No update is promised in advance; when an article is corrected or completed, the change is dated in the text.

## Sources

### Primary sources

- Ministry of Defense of Ukraine — official statements on the defense industry, July 2026

- ZBROYA — official portal for tracking Ukrainian defense contracts, July 2026

- Army Inform — coverage of Ukraine's defense industry, July 2026

### Secondary sources

- Foreign Policy — analysis of Ukraine's defense industry

- Defense News — coverage of international defense contracts

- Militarnyi — analysis of Ukrainian industrial partnerships

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Source: Maxime Marquette, MadMax. When citing, name the author and link https://mad-max.co/en/article/a-kyiv-le-portail-zbroya-revele-une-industrie-de-guerre-qui-s-accelere