Dorozvidka #31: Yaroslav Hryshyn, Pavlo Shevchuk, ISTAR at Khartiia, aerostats, Build in Ukraine and arms exports

Today’s edition of the weekly information summary, Dorozvidka, features:

• Co-founder of General Cherry, Yaroslav Hryshyn, reflecting on network-centric air defence;
• International CEO of Skyeton, Pavlo Shevchuk, speaking on The Defense Brief podcast about the Raybird UAV;
• Whether aerostats still have a place in modern warfare;
• The development of the Build in Ukraine initiative;
• A detailed look at the ISTAR team within the Khartiia unit;
• How controlled exports of Ukrainian weapons will work.

How the ISTAR team at Khartiia works

The portal DOU published an interview with Denys “Topolya” — a front-end engineer with the ISTAR team of the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine Khartiia. This team develops its own IT products and maintains dedicated analytics, OSINT, development and decryption units. Denys explains what the team does and how new members are trained.

Strategic drones in modern war

Strike UAVs have evolved from experimental platforms to full-fledged air operation tools, with long-range capabilities, heavy payloads, and integrated guidance systems changing the demands on planning and logistics.

In what areas does Ukraine lead, and in which do foreign manufacturers have the edge? How does practice change when units deploy heavy strike drones? When does the use of large UAVs make more sense than artillery or manned aircraft?

Army Inform explores these questions in a discussion with expert Bohdan Dolintse.

Podcast with Skyeton’s International CEO, Pavlo Shevchuk

Pavlo Shevchuk joined The Defense Brief podcast to discuss:

• How Ukraine became a catalyst for global defence innovation;
• Why developing most technologies in-house makes Skyeton more resilient and independent even in wartime;
• What’s next for autonomous, AI-driven UAVs in modern conflict.

How Ukraine’s arms exports will open up

By the end of 2025, export-import platforms will be launched in Europe, the US, and the Middle East to enable Ukrainian producers to sell their products abroad. What are the conditions, and where will the proceeds be directed? Which systems will be exported first? Forbes Ukraine assembled the first details of the mechanism.

Yaroslav Hryshyn on network-centric air defence

Ukraine has built one of the most effective air-defence systems of its kind in the world. This is not the final step but an interim assessment in a long and hard fight. But is it enough given an extended war, large-scale missile and drone strikes by the enemy, and intentional attacks on critical infrastructure ahead of winter?

In a blog post, the co-founder of General Cherry writes: If we want to get through another winter more smoothly, we must act today: tier, integrate, mobilise production, and above all, give the enemy no window of opportunity. Importantly, we must remember that we must shoot down not only Shaheds but anything that gives the enemy the chance to strike next – from large cruise missiles to a tiny Mavic on a warehouse roof.

Aerostats in modern warfare

Among Ukrainian forces, there’s also a perception that aerostats are just an expensive toy for “rich units”. However, engineers in Ukraine believed in the technology and decided to develop it. Among them is Yurii Vysoven, founder of Aerobavovna – the first and only Ukrainian company that serially produces aerostats. In his view, aerostats may transition from a niche tool to a mass instrument actively used across the front.

Read more in Oboronka.

Ministry of Defence on the Build in Ukraine programme

The Build in Ukraine initiative is designed to integrate the Ukrainian defence-industrial complex into the European defence ecosystem, increase security aid to Ukraine and attract additional investment. One of the key mechanisms of this process is the Build in Ukraine initiative. The MoD outlines the programme’s essence and discusses the current results in Ukrainian defence-industrial development achieved through it.