#Ukraine Defence Ministry

There are over 110 active armed conflicts worldwide. Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine saw the longest and bloodiest battle of the 21st century. We look at why the Battle of Bakhmut is significant and how it became a powerful symbol of Ukraine’s resistance, leading to tens of thousands of Russian losses.

“F*ck friends, we can’t believe that we’re alive,” wrote Ukrainian photographer Maks Levin ten years ago on his Facebook page. “Today, together with journalists Markiian Lyseiko, Ivan Lubysh-Kirdey, and Heorhii Tykhyi, we broke out of the encirclement in Ilovaisk – we experienced being born again.” 

The war in Ukraine shows that defense technologies are no longer exclusively the domain of large defense companies and government contracts. Increasingly, teams of enthusiasts are emerging with technological solutions that significantly enhance the combat capabilities of units. In Kyiv, Defence Vision Day was held to showcase how military projects based on virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies can simplify the training process for units.

In early 2023, President Biden announced that he would send 31 U.S. M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, describing them as "the most capable tanks in the world." After a year of preparation, in February 2024, they were finally rolled out onto Ukraine's frontlines.

Ukraine has its own anti-ship missiles and has been effectively using them since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. But what exactly can these they do?

Vadym Sukharevskyi stands at the forefront of a game changing initiative: establishing the Ukrainian military’s Unmanned Systems Forces, a branch with no global equivalent.