On February 8, 2026, Ukraine launched controlled exports of weapons that are not in short supply for the Defence Forces to European countries.
By the end of 2026, 10 export hubs for Ukrainian-made weapons will be established in the Baltic states and Northern Europe, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. As reported earlier, the first arms export offices will open in Germany and Denmark.
International buyers are most interested in drones and electronic warfare systems, Ihor Fedirko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Council of Arms Manufacturers, told Reuters.
At the same time, Ukraine is developing production infrastructure abroad. Manufacturing lines based on Ukrainian designs are already operating in the United Kingdom. From mid-February, production of Ukrainian drones will begin in Germany. “All of this will be based primarily on Ukrainian technologies and Ukrainian specialists,” President Zelenskyy emphasized.
According to the President, 2026 will be “a year of investment in Ukrainian technologies, primarily UAVs.” Currently, around 450 drone manufacturing companies operate in Ukraine, including about 50 market leaders ready to represent Ukrainian developments internationally.
At the same time, opening arms exports requires effective control mechanisms and a solid regulatory framework. The rules that should govern the arms export procedure were analyzed in an op-ed for United24 Media by NAKO Executive Director Olena Tregub and NAKO researcher Oleksandr Veherzhynskyi.
“The main security safeguard is the provision that, in the event of an urgent need by the Defence Forces of Ukraine for certain weapons, any permit for their export can be immediately suspended or revoked,” the publication states.
However, according to NAKO, for controlled exports to become a high-quality and effective instrument, several issues should be addressed:
- prioritizing the needs of the Defence Forces of Ukraine in the texts of international agreements;
- developing a transparent algorithm for including weapons in draft international agreements;
- restoring reporting on arms exports.
Photo: Vyriy Drone