The year now coming to an end has been another difficult stage of the war for our country. The war is still ongoing, and this reality will continue to demand even greater efforts from each of us. At present, three key factors determine the resilience of our defense and society in the face of russian pressure: people, weapons, and money.
First and foremost, this is about motivated people in the Defense Forces, in the defense industry, and in critical positions across the civilian sector. In reality, hardly any workplace in energy, healthcare, or education can be considered truly "civilian." All these sectors are inseparably linked to the state’s ability to function under wartime conditions. It is our people, our citizens, our comrades and colleagues, our families, who perform their duties with dedication and responsibility both on the front line and far beyond it. They form the backbone of our collective security and defense, on which the entire state rests.
However, on the pages and in the news coverage of Defense Express, given our professional specialization, we rarely write about people. When choosing topics, we focus primarily on "hardware," on weapons, whether Ukrainian, supplied by our partners, or used by the enemy. Yet now, at the end of 2025, we want to express our gratitude and appreciation to those we know personally and to those we do not.
To those who hold the front at, and beyond, the limits of human endurance. To those who design, manufacture, and refine the weapons that destroy the enemy.
We are in constant communication with directors, engineers, and employees of many domestic defense manufacturers and companies. Each of them shows minimal interest in publicity, while remaining maximally focused on doing more for the front.
Their work is delivering tangible results. These are the people who build potential and strengthen the foundation of Ukraine's defense capabilities. All of them serve as a powerful example that justifies faith in our own strength. May we all have much more of this faith, and many more examples of its realization, in 2026.
Now, a few words about weapons and money. According to statements by government officials, the production of Made in Ukraine weapons has been growing year by year. In 2022, Ukraine's defense industry produced goods worth $1 billion; in 2023, $3 billion; and in 2024, $9 billion. By the end of 2025, this figure may reach approximately $12 billion.
At the same time, funding shortages are already being felt in the state budget, as well as in the volume of financial assistance from partners, making it difficult to sustain such rapid growth in production going forward. The biggest challenge that emerged in 2025 is the widening gap between production capacity and available financing. Domestic industrial capacity already significantly exceeds potential funding volumes.
"We can produce five times more than we are able to procure domestically. As a result, most enterprises are operating below capacity, despite having the technologies, personnel, and equipment," executives of leading companies say.
This means that both the replenishment of arsenals to meet the needs of the Defense Forces and the future state of Ukraine's defense industry will largely depend on the adoption of adequate, effective, and possibly unconventional decisions by state authorities. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to offset the enemy's numerical advantage in manpower and the limitations in the supply of weapons and services from our partners. All of this will shape the substance, nature, and dynamics of events in the approaching year of 2026.
For its part, the Defense Express editorial team will make every possible effort to keep our readers informed about all key events and processes that affect Ukraine's defense capability.
To all of us in 2026: strength, courage, hope, and a stronger belief in our own capabilities!
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