Denys Sviatokum on Building Ukraine’s Wartime Defense Innovation Ecosystem
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/04/22
Denys Sviatokum is a Ukrainian defence-sector coordinator and industry leader serving as Chairman of the Ukrainian Dual-Use Technology Cluster, an organization uniting more than 70 companies focused on defence and dual-use innovation. His work centers on connecting Ukrainian battlefield-tested technologies with international partners, facilitating integration, joint development, and scaling of operational solutions. In parallel, he serves as a Board Member of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine “Defence,” representing over 500 companies in the national defence industry. Through these roles, Sviatokum contributes to strengthening Ukraine’s industrial coordination, international collaboration, and technological resilience amid ongoing war conditions.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen interviews Denys Sviatokum, Chairman of the Ukrainian Dual-Use Technology Cluster, on how wartime necessity has accelerated defence-sector consolidation, startup culture, and rapid product iteration in Ukraine. Sviatokum explains that more than 70 companies collaborate across AI, cybersecurity, manufacturing, R&D, universities, and training, with battlefield validation driving contract awards. He notes that younger founders, especially from startup ecosystems, are reshaping a traditionally closed sector. He also warns that many firms may not survive economically after the war ends. The discussion explores sanctions, foreign partnerships, technological espionage, and the global spread of drone warfare under extreme pressure.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Tell me about the network of more than 70 businesses and companies. Why did you start this effort to integrate them? I have seen similar consolidation efforts elsewhere in Ukraine’s wartime innovation and media ecosystems, and they seem to be a recurring pattern.
Denys Sviatokum: My background is in enterprise networking. Connections and cooperation accelerate growth and create synergy. If we want to succeed, we need to consolidate resources, especially when they are limited. Many companies are working on similar problems, and that is not always efficient. If they are brought into a common system or organization, they can coordinate better. One company can focus on one area while another focuses on something complementary.
That is a more effective way to develop new activities. Our goal is to strengthen and protect the industry by making it more coordinated and more consolidated.
We work with different kinds of companies: digital platforms that support matchmaking, AI-related tools, cybersecurity companies that help protect facilities and systems, and manufacturing and R&D organizations. We also work with universities because they provide knowledge, research capacity, and expertise.
We are also trying to create educational centers, because training is part of the broader ecosystem. Ukraine has many engineers, and we support programs that help develop junior specialists and strengthen their potential. Our role is to act as a connector among different actors in this market.
We are part of larger ecosystems. This includes cooperation with the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance, which brings together clusters from different regions and industries, as well as with broader employer and industry associations that advocate for business interests and engagement with government. The role is largely one of coordination and representation.
Jacobsen: What difficulties do you encounter when bringing people together? Over time, what becomes easier when building and managing these networks?
Sviatokum: This is a sensitive area. Historically, defence companies have often been reluctant to share information. However, the reality has changed. People from other sectors—especially IT specialists, startups, and innovation-focused teams—have entered this space with a more open mindset. They are generally more willing to exchange information quickly and to share advice.
That cultural shift is changing the market. The integration of these newer actors has made the sector more open and easier to consolidate around shared interests.
Jacobsen: Under what conditions do people reject a business proposition?
Sviatokum: The first issue is values. If the parties have very different values or working cultures, cooperation becomes difficult. Another issue is flexibility. If people are not flexible, they cannot build a workable partnership. Even if companies have similar or competing products, cooperation is still possible if they are willing to adapt.
I also bring foreign companies into cooperation here, because they have relevant expertise and experience, and so do we. If both sides have something useful, there is value in exchanging that knowledge and moving faster.
Jacobsen: What range of contract sizes do you typically handle, from small SME agreements to large-scale contracts?
Sviatokum: Who moves faster to secure the first major contract? It is similar to life. When I speak to students, I tell them that each of them can become a leader because they have energy and drive.
In this sector, if you can deliver results first, you are more likely to win the contract. You develop something, bring in engineers, build a prototype, and demonstrate that it works. If you have strong connections with military brigades and the product proves useful in real conditions, you gain traction. Soldiers are the real end users of these products. If they validate it, you can secure the contract.
Jacobsen: What is the age range of these business owners? How young or how old are they?
Sviatokum: At present, most founders are younger and come from the innovation and startup ecosystem. There are two general groups. The older generation consists of those who were already in the defence industry before the full-scale war. The newer founders are typically younger—ages 24 to 35.
Jacobsen: What are the limitations of the ecosystem?
Sviatokum: The main limitation is the war itself—active war. It drives the ecosystem, but it also constrains it. When the war ends, a large portion of these companies—perhaps 70 to 80 percent—may not survive.
Jacobsen: They would not be physically destroyed?
Sviatokum: No, not necessarily physically destroyed. They may not survive economically. The war acts as a catalyst for rapid development and demand. When that demand declines, many companies may no longer be viable.
Jacobsen: So the business environment itself changes, and the ecosystem contracts. Are any of these companies directly targeted and bombed?
Sviatokum: There are risks. Because companies operate legally, information about them can be found in public sources. That creates exposure. To mitigate this, some organizations take precautions—such as limiting public information, separating operational and registered addresses, and distributing facilities.
Jacobsen: What about technological espionage? How do you prevent it?
Sviatokum: In such a fast-changing environment, technologies evolve quickly. This reduces the long-term value of stolen information. Speed of innovation becomes a form of protection.
Jacobsen: Too difficult?
Sviatokum: Yes. You can obtain documents and transfer them to another company or country.
Jacobsen: And they are already outdated within six months.
Sviatokum: Yes, take interceptors, for example. Even if you acquire the design, you may not know how to use it effectively. And within a short period—sometimes even a month—it becomes outdated and no longer competitive.
Jacobsen: One final question on this topic. Do you think the Russian Federation’s war-related business ecosystem—despite allocating a large portion of its federal budget to defence—lacks motivation compared to Ukraine’s more existential framing of the war?
Sviatokum: Many participants on the Russian side are motivated primarily by financial incentives. That is why sanctions and economic pressure are so important—to reduce the profitability of war. If war is no longer economically beneficial, it becomes harder to sustain.
Many individuals go to the front lines for financial reasons. At the same time, companies involved in production also profit. There are foreign fighters on different sides, including individuals from countries such as Colombia, often bringing prior military experience.
Jacobsen: I attended a session from the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, and I have interviewed one of the commissioners, Brenda Grover. Their recent findings indicate that individuals from multiple countries have, in some cases, been recruited under pretenses—offered civilian jobs, given contracts they cannot read, and then coerced into frontline combat roles, often with severe consequences.
Sviatokum: That is a serious issue. Ukraine does recruit internationally, but through more transparent structures. The International Legion is an example—foreign volunteers can join under clear terms.
Jacobsen: I met a volunteer in Lviv—a Māori individual from New Zealand.
Sviatokum: Yes, there are volunteers from many regions, including Latin America and Africa. People come from different backgrounds.
Jacobsen: Some observers suggest that individuals from certain regions may view this as a distant or regional conflict rather than something directly relevant to them.
Sviatokum: That may be the case. Different countries have their own priorities and challenges.
Jacobsen: There are also reports of drone use spreading beyond Ukraine—for example, in parts of Central Africa. I will need to verify specific locations, but the trend suggests that this technology is becoming more widely adopted.
Sviatokum: Yes, drone technology is spreading globally.
Jacobsen: Thank you very much for the opportunity and your time, Denys.
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