Russia has certain achievements in the field of defense industry, which cannot be ignored. However, despite this, on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Russian army experienced significant shortcomings in the use of outdated military equipment and its insufficient modernization. Western standards proved unreachable, and the lag in military equipment became evident.
There is a difference
War has always been a catalyst for innovations, ranging from the crossbow to the Internet. This principle hasn’t changed in our day: private industry plays a key role in military breakthroughs, even those as significant as the development of the atomic bomb. At the same time, harsh economic sanctions from the West significantly undermined the Russian economy and military potential. Restrictions on access to Western technologies and markets have hit the Russian industry and capabilities of weaponry modernization even harder.
In contrast, Ukraine has received massive support from Western allies and major technological corporations. The USA, EU, and other countries provided Ukraine with significant assistance in the form of weapons, finances, and humanitarian support. The modern arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine includes:
- MILAN, Javelin, and NLAW anti-tank missile systems.
- SwitchBlade tactical drones, FH70 and M777 howitzers.
- HIMARS missile launchers, as well as a wide range of anti-aircraft missiles and systems.
Such an arsenal gives the Ukrainian army a significant advantage on the battlefield.
Artificial Intelligence at the service of war
Partnerships with foreign technology companies have led to unprecedented innovations in the field of military artificial intelligence, marking a new milestone in modern warfare. US Army General Mark Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarked that this partnership is accelerating “the most significant fundamental changes in the nature of war ever recorded in history.”
The military-technical achievements of Ukraine’s allies, particularly the USA and NATO, have significantly strengthened the country’s defensive potential. High-tech weaponry, complex surveillance systems, and cutting-edge communication devices provided by allies have given the Armed Forces of Ukraine a substantial advantage on the battlefield. This support has not only bolstered Ukraine’s ability to repulse Russian aggression, but also ruined the strategic plans of the Russian military.
The strong become mighty
Large corporations such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Starlink have played a key role in defending Ukraine from Russian cyber attacks, transferring critical government data to cloud storage, and ensuring continuous communication. They have allocated hundreds of millions of dollars for the country’s information protection.
The American company Clearview AI provided its facial recognition technology to over 1,500 Ukrainian officials, who used it to identify over 230,000 Russians on Ukrainian territory.
Small American and European companies, many of which specialize in autonomous drones, have opened offices in Kyiv. Young Ukrainians have named some of the city’s lively coworking spaces “MilTech Valley”.
Hide everything
The “universal” satellite internet system Starlink from Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has quickly become a key Ukrainian battle management and data transmission system, propelling the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the 21st century. This system offers capabilities that even the US Armed Forces anticipated obtaining no earlier than the mid-2030s.
Thanks to Starlink, it has become possible to connect any unit to the network anywhere, exchange video streams in real time, create combat chats and other management systems for exchanging data between thousands of subscribers. High connection secrecy and the ability to use Wi-Fi for tactical communication have made every combat unit and each fire means a part of a network-centric system with targeting, guidance, and adjustment capabilities in real time and with the potential of precision weaponry.
These technologies have given Ukraine a significant advantage, which even the most modern armed forces in the world are just beginning to master. Despite excessive exhaustion, significant losses, and a host of other problems that have accumulated in the Ukrainian army over 2.5 years of full-scale war, it is currently the most modern army in the world that possesses incredible and unique experience, coveted for by the best special forces of various countries, and most of all – Russia.
