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Ukraine Allows Critical Firms to Build Their Own Air Defense Using Gear “Not in Frontline Service”
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Ukraine expanded air-defense options for critical infrastructure companies, according to Ukrinform on March 2.
Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko stated that the cabinet of ministers of Ukraine amended an experimental program approved in November 2025. The program aims to involve infrastructure operators in Ukraine’s integrated air-defense system.
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“All decisions are made under the control of military command and within the unified air defense system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” she wrote on Telegram.
What do we know
Svyrydenko said the Air Force command can temporarily transfer air-defense equipment and ammunition to specific companies.
She said each transfer will require an individual decision for each facility. The report said the equipment would come from weapons not currently used by combat units.
Personnel will face qualification requirements. They will undergo training and certification at institutions designated by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
If ammunition is used, replenishment would follow a simplified procedure. It would be based on an act confirming actual expenditures, the report said. Svyrydenko said decisions will remain under military oversight.
The prime minister added that the government also updated rules for inventory and storage. The changes cover accounting and the use of air-defense systems and ammunition.
Ukraine partly relied on mobile fire groups to counter drones and low-flying targets. These teams typically operate from pickup trucks or SUVs with heavy machine guns, small-caliber anti-aircraft guns, or man-portable air-defense missiles.
They often use thermal imagers and searchlights for night work.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat has described the groups as a local layer of protection for infrastructure sites.
Earlier, it was reported that Germany placed an order for 18 additional IRIS-T air-defense systems for Ukraine, significantly expanding the existing network to strengthen protection against Russian missile and drone attacks as part of a long-term effort to reinforce the country’s layered air-defense capabilities.
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