The most important talk at the Estonian Defence April 2025 Meetup was about Ukraine’s decentralised procurement. This is the key driver behind UA, becoming the most advanced tech army in the world, rapidly adopting new products on the battlefield
Ukraine has over 1,000 military units, where commanders can independently decide what drones and EW products to buy. This means procurement decisions are driven by real-time battlefield needs & direct combat experience. Results from new products are then shared with central command. One recent success story is fiber optic drones, which were first tested by several units before being scaled up.
In 2024, the Ukrainian army spent €4.7 billion on centralized procurement + an extra €1.6 billion directly through units. So whopping 25% of procurement is done through a very simple few-week process. This also explains how Ukraine now has over 2,000 teams continuously building new defence tech solutions. And Ukraine folks can buy stuff from ANY friendly Defence tech startup! Just come to Ukraine and show the magic!
Two key factors make this process successful. First - every Ukrainian unit has tech experts who can evaluate different solutions and provide advice. Many of the best units even have their own R&D teams. But more importantly, Ukraine has trained thousands of procurement specialists — most of whom are actual combat soldiers, fighting on the front line. And they will feel personally how bad a procurement decision could lead to direct losses.
The past three years have fundamentally changed how fast new defence solutions are developed and scaled. The advantage of a new technology now lasts only 3–4 months — that’s how quickly the enemy develops countermeasures.
This is exactly why every European army needs to adapt to an ultra-fast innovation cycle. Giving units the freedom to buy and test new technologies is clearly the best strategy. And Ukraine is ready to share its experience with real friends!
In 2024, the Ukrainian army spent €4.7 billion on centralized procurement + an extra €1.6 billion directly through units. So whopping 25% of procurement is done through a very simple few-week process. This also explains how Ukraine now has over 2,000 teams continuously building new defence tech solutions. And Ukraine folks can buy stuff from ANY friendly Defence tech startup! Just come to Ukraine and show the magic!
Two key factors make this process successful. First - every Ukrainian unit has tech experts who can evaluate different solutions and provide advice. Many of the best units even have their own R&D teams. But more importantly, Ukraine has trained thousands of procurement specialists — most of whom are actual combat soldiers, fighting on the front line. And they will feel personally how bad a procurement decision could lead to direct losses.
The past three years have fundamentally changed how fast new defence solutions are developed and scaled. The advantage of a new technology now lasts only 3–4 months — that’s how quickly the enemy develops countermeasures.
This is exactly why every European army needs to adapt to an ultra-fast innovation cycle. Giving units the freedom to buy and test new technologies is clearly the best strategy. And Ukraine is ready to share its experience with real friends!
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