How Ukraine has developed its expanding land arsenal
Germany sent eight Leopard 1 main battle tanks to Ukraine in October 2024. (Image: АрміяInform)
Ukraine’s conflict with Russia has continued to drive development in its domestic arms industry and expand foreign military aid to increase the strength of its land forces.
As the war in Ukraine heads towards its third year, military procurement in the country has been undergoing a structural shift. Western governments have continued to donate arms and equipment directly to the Ukrainian military, but increasingly their aid has been shifting towards funding to build up Ukraine’s own domestic defence industry.
The shift has been made in part because Western military stockpiles have been running low and many governments have not stepped up development of their domestic defence industries. But it is also because Ukraine itself has made remarkable progress in using Western financial aid to design its own
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