{"id":98420,"date":"2026-08-13T11:42:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T08:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/?post_type=insights&#038;p=98420"},"modified":"2026-08-13T13:59:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:59:22","slug":"oleg-rogynskyy-big-interview","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/insights\/oleg-rogynskyy-big-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"UFORCE, Freedom Fund, 25,000 Starlinks for UAF: Interview with the CEO of Ukraine\u2019s first defence tech unicorn"},"content":{"rendered":"        <div class=\"wp-block-thdfndr-audio is-minimalist\">\n            <audio src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uforce-en.mp3\" class=\"thdfndr-native-node\" style=\"display: none;\" preload=\"metadata\"><\/audio>\n            <div class=\"thdfndr-audio-wrapper\">\n                \n                <button class=\"audio-play-control\" aria-label=\"Play Audio\">\n                    <span class=\"audio-play-icon-wrapper\">\n                        <svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"currentColor\"><path d=\"M19.376 12.4161L8.77735 19.4818C8.54759 19.635 8.23715 19.5729 8.08397 19.3432C8.02922 19.261 8 19.1645 8 19.0658V4.93433C8 4.65818 8.22386 4.43433 8.5 4.43433C8.59871 4.43433 8.69522 4.46355 8.77735 4.5183L19.376 11.584C19.6057 11.7372 19.6678 12.0477 19.5146 12.2774C19.478 12.3323 19.4309 12.3795 19.376 12.4161Z\"\/><\/svg>\n                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"audio-meta-text\">\n                        <span class=\"audio-label-listen\">Listen<\/span>\n                        <span class=\"audio-duration-node\" data-unit=\"min\">(&#8211;)<\/span>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/button>\n                \n                <div class=\"audio-volume-container\">\n                    <div class=\"audio-volume-slider-wrapper\">\n                        <input type=\"range\" class=\"audio-volume-slider\" min=\"0\" max=\"1\" step=\"0.05\" value=\"1\" aria-label=\"Volume Level\">\n                    <\/div>\n                    <button class=\"audio-volume-trigger\" aria-label=\"Volume\">\n                        <svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"currentColor\"><path d=\"M2 16.0001H5.88889L11.1834 20.3319C11.2727 20.405 11.3846 20.4449 11.5 20.4449C11.7761 20.4449 12 20.2211 12 19.9449V4.05519C12 3.93977 11.9601 3.8279 11.887 3.73857C11.7121 3.52485 11.3971 3.49335 11.1834 3.66821L5.88889 8.00007H2C1.44772 8.00007 1 8.44778 1 9.00007V15.0001C1 15.5524 1.44772 16.0001 2 16.0001ZM23 12C23 15.292 21.5539 18.2463 19.2622 20.2622L17.8445 18.8444C19.7758 17.1937 21 14.7398 21 12C21 9.26016 19.7758 6.80629 17.8445 5.15557L19.2622 3.73779C21.5539 5.75368 23 8.70795 23 12ZM18 12C18 10.0883 17.106 8.38548 15.7133 7.28673L14.2842 8.71584C15.3213 9.43855 16 10.64 16 12C16 13.36 15.3213 14.5614 14.2842 15.2841L15.7133 16.7132C17.106 15.6145 18 13.9116 18 12Z\"\/><\/svg>\n                    <\/button>\n                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        \n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oleh Rogynskyy was born in Dnipro, built a billion-dollar business in California, and now runs one of Ukraine\u2019s leading defence companies from London, where UFORCE is headquartered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the first day of the full-scale invasion, he got involved in helping Ukraine \u2014 and has continued to raise the stakes ever since. He started by volunteering and networking, helping to bring the first 25,000 Starlink terminals to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, along with documentation on how to use them for military purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He then created <a href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/tags\/freedom-fund\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/tags\/freedom-fund\/\">Freedom Fund<\/a>, the first venture fund to start investing in Ukrainian defence startups. The fund\u2019s portfolio includes around 30 companies, while its total capital amounts to tens of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, in 2025, Rogynskyy became CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/tags\/uforce\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/tags\/uforce\/\">UFORCE<\/a> \u2014 the first Ukrainian defence tech company with a confirmed valuation of more than $1 billion. He does not plan to stop there: Anduril, which he sees as a benchmark, is already valued at around $100 billion. \u201cAnd we are growing faster than Anduril,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UFORCE develops tactical robotic systems for the sea, air and land, as well as counter-UAS solutions. According to Rogynskyy, the company currently produces thousands of <a href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/tags\/magura\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/tags\/magura\/\">Magura<\/a> USVs and hundreds of thousands of UAVs per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defender Media spoke to Rogynskyy about his four years in defence tech, UFORCE\u2019s strategy, exports of Ukrainian defence technologies and the unicorn company\u2019s plans for 2026. They also discussed the unique experience of Ukrainians and the conditions UFORCE is creating within the company to turn that experience into leading defence innovations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Rogynskyy built bridges between Ukraine, Elon Musk and Google<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On February 24, 2022, I started receiving calls from Kyiv. People from Mykhailo Fedorov\u2019s team were trying to reach Ukrainians in Silicon Valley. They were looking for help with technologies needed for the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a very good Ukrainian consul in San Francisco, Dmytro Kushneruk. Within literally half an hour, he brought together all the local members of the Ukrainian diaspora and directed them accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We started working, and within the first days of the full-scale invasion we managed to carry out several major projects. In particular, we disabled Google Traffic and Google Maps for Russians so they could not see Ukrainian convoy movements. We also helped many NGOs access funds that were stuck in PayPal, Patreon, and other Western systems. We carried out several other projects that are still unsafe to discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then I was told that we needed to reach Elon Musk. We managed to do that as well. We found the money for the first 25,000 Starlink terminals, brought them to Ukraine and ran into a problem: Ukrainian military personnel did not know how to use this equipment for artillery, air defence and other purposes. We created manuals for them and published them on GitHub. Eventually, during March and April 2022, we managed to get the Starlink flywheel turning in Ukraine, which later became one of our key advantages. Those were my first two months of the full-scale war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How he created the first investment fund for Ukrainian defence startups<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Around June 2022, it became clear that Western corporations and officials could work directly with Ukrainian partners without my involvement. I had time and resources freed up for new projects for Ukraine. At the same time, I continued running People.ai and, naturally, could not be as effective a fundraiser or volunteer as people who devoted all their time to it and had the relevant experience. So I focused my efforts where I felt I had the greatest strength \u2014 working on complex combinations and non-linear ideas that could deliver maximum impact with minimum effort.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"769\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/frbnxczqvilu15heltih-769x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98324\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9\/16;object-fit:cover;width:400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/frbnxczqvilu15heltih-769x1024.webp 769w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/frbnxczqvilu15heltih-225x300.webp 225w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/frbnxczqvilu15heltih-768x1023.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/frbnxczqvilu15heltih.webp 923w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UFORCE CEO and Freedom Fund founder Oleh Rogynskyi. All photos below: UFORCE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next such idea found me in Ukraine\u2019s defence tech investment market. I saw many young projects building drones in garages, and many of them got themselves into exploitative arrangements from the very beginning because they did not know how to raise investment or run a business. Great teams were selling 50% of their companies to various petrol station owners who brought nothing to the project except relatively small amounts of money. Those teams effectively got a black mark because after such a round, a serious investor would no longer want to invest in the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I realised that neither side \u2014 investors nor startups \u2014 knew how to structure such deals properly. There was no legal framework. After seeing a few startups get lost this way, I decided that my next impact project would be to teach Ukrainian inventors how to raise money properly and Ukrainian investors how to invest properly. Plus, I wanted to bring Western investors into Ukraine. That is how Freedom Fund was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first thing I did was spend a lot of money on lawyers from the US, Estonia, Poland and Germany. I gave each team the task of finding the shortest and most legally sound way to bring money into a Ukrainian startup in compliance with Western rules. These lawyers worked in parallel, competing with one another. The Estonians came back with the best idea \u2014 they found a clean, elegant, and inexpensive way to channel Western funds into Ukrainian LLCs through Estonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This firm, which it is probably still unsafe to name, is a true hero. For next to nothing, they created and made all the documentation publicly available. Their main motivation was to help Ukraine. Since then, around 90% of investment deals in Ukrainian defence tech have been structured this way. This is a project I am very proud of \u2014 and one I am talking about for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Freedom Fund\u2019s size is several tens of millions of dollars. It currently has around 30 projects in its portfolio. Its typical cheque is $100,000\u2013200,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fund was never created to make money. Freedom Fund was meant to be the first cheque for garage-based defence startups \u2014 and to force them to do everything properly from the start. When a company structures its first deal correctly, everything becomes much easier afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2022, we were the first and only fund to promote the idea of investing in single-use\u2014purely lethal inventions designed to gain an advantage in war. In 2023, Evelyn Buchatsky and <a href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/tags\/d3\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/tags\/d3\/\">D3<\/a> appeared \u2014 I have great respect for them. Freedom Fund is financed mostly with American money because my network is strongest there. Evelyn paved the way for European investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The competition is completely different now, with funds competing against one another. In 2025, for the first time, we failed to get into a deal we wanted \u2014 other funds beat us to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-align-left wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/2026\/06\/maxon-systems-first-autonomous-shahed-interception\/\"><strong>Read more:<\/strong> How Ukraine\u2019s MaXon Systems built an autonomous Shahed interceptor \u2014 and what\u2019s next<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What still sets Freedom Fund apart is that we are very private. Companies that also want to stay quiet and under the radar often come to us. We invest in them, they continue working quietly, and then some important bridge explodes behind enemy lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have less and less time to work on the fund. It has already changed several managers, and it is now headed by Volodymyr Nesterenko. By the way, he is looking for an associate partner, so apply. My role now is basically to attend the investment committee once a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How he joined UFORCE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I met Oleksii Honcharuk in 2019, when he came to California as head of government. The following year, he came to Stanford, near where I lived. We met for lunch and talked for four hours instead of one. We parted as, if not friends, then good acquaintances, but hardly crossed paths over the next four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2024, Freedom Fund invested in one of the startups, and then it turned out that its founders had sold the business to UFORCE. That brought me back into contact with Honcharuk. Until then, I did not know that he was one of the company\u2019s founders. Oleksii explained that the company was looking for ways to attract Western investment into Ukrainian defence tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary><strong>What UFORCE comprises<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>UFORCE is a Ukrainian company that integrates developers of robotic systems for the sea, air and land. The company also develops counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems. The group includes Magura, a manufacturer of maritime drones; UGV Robotics, a developer of ground drones and robotic turrets; and FRDM, which produces both UAVs and UGVs. The group comprises at least nine companies in total, some of which UFORCE does not publicly disclose. According to Rogynskyy, the company continues to expand the number of its subsidiaries through M&amp;A. UFORCE currently produces thousands of maritime drones and hundreds of thousands of UAVs per year.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By that point, I had been through this so many times that I had become an expert \u2014 and apparently made an impression on Honcharuk. We started thinking about whether something as large as UFORCE, along with the rest of Ukraine\u2019s defence tech ecosystem, could fit within the financial and legal framework established by the Freedom Fund. It turned out that a British jurisdiction would be better suited to such tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At some point, Honcharuk said: \u201cListen, would you like to join the UFORCE board of directors?\u201d Of course I wanted to. Ben Wallace later joined us as well. The British, in general, became very actively involved in helping Ukraine, right up to the prime minister. We put a lot of effort into finding the right balance so that we could remain a Ukrainian company while also being a comfortable partner for Western investors and clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I joined UFORCE, it was already a group of companies, but they were mostly connected by friendship, work and, in some cases, financial relationships. UFORCE emerged from a group of engineers who had been working individually on requests from the Ukrainian military and then started getting closer as those requests became more complex, and they increasingly wanted to combine different capabilities and domains into a single system. For example, attaching a Nemesis UAV to a Magura maritime drone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98392\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-3-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-3-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-3-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-3-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-3-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-3.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UFORCE\u2019s Magura line of USVs is its best-known development. The photo shows the Magura V5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"526\" data-id=\"98390\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-4-1024x526.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-4-1024x526.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-4-300x154.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-4-768x395.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-4-1536x790.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v5-4.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Magura V5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"537\" data-id=\"98388\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-3-1024x537.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98388\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-3-1024x537.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-3-300x157.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-3-768x402.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-3-1536x805.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-3-2048x1073.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Magura V7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98386\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-6-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-6-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-6-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-6-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-6-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/v7-6.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Magura V7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hardest thing in a group of companies is making sure everyone knows, respects and works with one another. At UFORCE, that most difficult stage happened by itself. All that remained was to bring everything together financially, legally and mathematically \u2014 without upsetting anyone. And we did it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I joined the company, there were already Magura, Nemesis and many other projects. But requests began to emerge about how to make all of this work on a single software platform, how to launch drones from boats, and how to ensure everything functions as a fully integrated robotic military unit. Ground robotic systems with drones, boats, artificial intelligence and interceptors \u2014 all working together in the same context and communicating with one another, with the operator able to sit somewhere far away in a bunker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A year and a half ago, UFORCE was effectively a collection of separate companies. We started bringing everything together. The investment we raised was used as the glue that united them into a group. We started removing duplication and centralising everything that could be centralised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/2026\/03\/uforce-unicorn\/\"><strong>Read more:<\/strong> Magura drones manufacturer raised $50 million and became a unicorn<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group now has a single legal and finance department. We are now centralising the entire supply chain. This optimisation has led to the group operating as a single company \u2014 that has happened over the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How he became UFORCE CEO and raised investment<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2025, I was offered the position of UFORCE CEO. As a director, I received a stake in the company. The task that I had \u2014 and still have \u2014 as head of UFORCE is to restructure the company to implement our strategy. Raising $50 million in investment was the first stage of this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We wrote the strategy at the beginning of 2025. It is still relevant, and we are following it. It sets out where we want to go, what we need to get there, what the company should look like, what its structure should be, how much money we need, whose money it should be, which clients we are interested in, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We announced the round at the beginning of 2026, bringing the company out of stealth mode. And these are not just investments \u2014 our shareholders now include some of the world\u2019s most respected funds specialising in defence tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98400\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-1-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-1-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-1-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-1-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-1-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-1.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nemesis bomber UAS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98398\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-3-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-3-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-3-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-3-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-3-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-3.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98396\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-5-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-5-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-5-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-5-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-5-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nemesis-5.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of them is Shield Capital, whose team includes a person who helped create the US Defense Innovation Unit. Today, five years after its creation, 90% of the US budget for unmanned systems is allocated through DIU. In effect, people from Shield Capital created the US procurement agency for unmanned systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same applies to Lakestar and its founder, Klaus Hommels, except that he did something similar in Germany and the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our investors also include Expeditions, one of the leading defence tech investors in Poland. So we raised the $50 million we needed from some of the world\u2019s leading defence investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What UFORCE\u2019s strategy is<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is my view of defence? If you simplify it as much as possible, it is a 3&#215;5 matrix. The three vertical cells represent depth: tactical, operational and strategic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The five horizontal cells are the domains: air, water, land, cyberspace, and space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are several ways to develop a company in this sector. For example, you can take one domain and gradually cover it in full depth. That is what the American company Saronic is doing. Right now, they occupy one cell at the intersection of the maritime and tactical levels \u2014 they are producing a Magura-like system. They realised that this would not be enough, so they have already moved into the operational and strategic maritime levels, meaning they want to fill the entire three-cell column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UFORCE has a different strategy. We know that we build the best tactical combat systems in the world across three domains \u2014 land, air, water \u2013 and C-UAS. In other words, we have filled a row rather than a column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now we are moving to the second row \u2014 starting to work on operational-level combat systems across our four domains. That is our strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" data-id=\"98410\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-14-2-1024x640.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-14-2-1024x640.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-14-2-300x188.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-14-2-768x480.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-14-2-1536x960.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-14-2.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">D21 UGV with the D12 combat module. Developed by FRDM Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"98418\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d-21-3-1024x768.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d-21-3-1024x768.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d-21-3-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d-21-3-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d-21-3-1536x1152.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d-21-3.webp 1752w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">D12 ground platform and its configuration options<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"98412\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-4-1024x768.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-4-1024x768.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-4-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-4-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-4-1536x1152.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-4.webp 1752w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98416\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d12-2-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98416\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d12-2-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d12-2-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d12-2-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d12-2-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d12-2.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Combat robotic module D12<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98414\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-1-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-1-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-1-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-1-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-1-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d21-12-1.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One important element of our restructuring was changing the division within the group from a product-based model to a geographical one. Today, the companies are organised more around different geographies and different goals rather than different products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UFORCE could be profitable at any point if we slowed growth and reduced R&amp;D spending. But we chose the Western growth model \u2014 developing as quickly as possible, postponing the break-even point and raising investment. Because we are helping the front line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our growth rate is faster than Anduril\u2019s was at our size. As part of this growth strategy, we are also acquiring new assets. In Ukraine, our M&amp;A strategy focuses on product companies; outside Ukraine, it focuses on the supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We believe that, from a product perspective, no one in Europe comes even close to Ukrainian developments. But when it comes to manufacturing, building supply chains and components, there are companies in Europe that interest us. And we are already working on the relevant acquisitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>On exports<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for <a href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/2026\/07\/government-opens-arms-export\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/2026\/07\/government-opens-arms-export\/\">Ukraine\u2019s new export model<\/a>, I am pleasantly surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once, in a hotel lobby in a European city, I met someone responsible for this on President Zelenskyy\u2019s team. We had a heart-to-heart conversation. I was asked how I would implement exports if I were the state. I said: you know, everyone hates American ITAR and DDTC, but there are two counterarguments. Despite their complexity, they are predictable. And they actually work \u2014 show me another country that exports as many weapons around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At UFORCE, our first, even zero, priority is helping the Ukrainian front. But some of our capabilities have already fulfilled their front-line tasks, at least partially. In particular, I mean Magura drones in the Black Sea, where there are now significantly fewer targets for them. Although we are finding new interesting scenarios, we can produce far more Maguras than the Ukrainian Armed Forces need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I cannot go into detail about what we plan to sell abroad or where. I will only say that Ukrainian unmanned systems are now generating enormous interest everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/2026\/07\/uforce-reconcraft-magura\/\"><strong>Read more<\/strong>: UFORCE and American ReconCraft to launch production of Magura drones in the US<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everyone understands that Ukraine has learned how to build unmanned systems properly. The Ukrainian kill chain is unique, and books will be written about it. There is interest in our products from everywhere, but this interest prefers silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of bureaucratic delays with exports, Ukraine could lose important markets. Our companies took leading positions in the first phase of trials under the US Drone Dominance programme, but until recently, none of them could deliver the drones under the contracts awarded to the winners. Finally, the process has recently started moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until then, it looked as if we had won the global drone Olympics \u2014 and failed to show up for the medal ceremony. If Ukrainian companies win the second phase of Drone Dominance but cannot deliver the drones, there will be no third chance. Because showing a drone that flies well is one thing. Delivering that drone is something completely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>On people and the uniqueness of Ukraine\u2019s experience<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new export regime allows us to create great jobs for Ukrainians. What we have realised is that the most important thing in Ukrainian defence tech is not the technology itself. Our engineers have something you cannot teach \u2014 a unique perspective and unique motivation. Because until your son, father, brother, sister, or one of your friends has been to the front, you will not have the same understanding and motivation that almost every Ukrainian has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I believe in this more than I believe in technology, because technology changes every day. Accordingly, our strategy is built around people. These are people who can see the future and change technologies in 30 minutes rather than 30 years. In Ukraine, we are building a core of engineers with very unique experience. They are our greatest asset, and this should be the philosophy of every defence company. At least that is how we operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is currently intense competition for talent in the market, and it may seem that specialists are already valued enough. But I am not talking only about compensation or anything purely material. I mean freedom, creativity and conditions that allow them to spread their wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98408\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/khyzhak-3-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/khyzhak-3-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/khyzhak-3-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/khyzhak-3-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/khyzhak-3-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/khyzhak-3.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lyut UGV with the Predator combat module. Developed by UGV Robotics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98406\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-3-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-3-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-3-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-3-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-3-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-3.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"98404\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-4-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-4-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-4-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-4-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-4-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/liut-4.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is difficult to get into our company because the selection process is very tough. But once you are in, you have the opportunity to work on projects you are passionate about. To be the best of the best. This applies not only to engineers, but also to managers, HR and everyone else. I can see that it works, I can see how motivated people are \u2014 and that motivates me too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are looking for diamonds. You usually cannot see that on a CV. Skills can be taught, but motivation is much harder to teach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are decentralised. In America, there is a concept called a One Pizza Team. The idea is that an engineering team is most effective if the whole team can be fed with one large pizza. If there are more people, bureaucracy and other things start to creep in. Part of our strategy is to build a system in which one company has many such One Pizza Teams working relatively independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once a pizza team starts working well together, they begin raising their hands themselves and saying where they need help or synergy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Combining Ukrainian motivation with a Western company structure and Western investment \u2014 that is what we are trying to achieve at UFORCE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/r18-1-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/r18-1-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/r18-1-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/r18-1-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/r18-1-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/r18-1-2048x1152.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FRDM\u2019s R-18 octocopter bomber<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, we do a lot to keep that motivation alive. Insurance, incentive payments, everything needed for work-life balance, gyms in the offices and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without that, even the best people burn out. And people are our most important capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>UFORCE\u2019s plans for 2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For UFORCE, success by the end of 2026 would mean being on the same level as Anduril in terms of brand recognition. Because in terms of combat impact, for example, we are already bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But we want to be so scalable and recognisable that we can attract global talent to help Ukraine \u2014 and global capital that will help us develop faster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A big conversation with Oleg Rogynskyy, one of the most influential managers in Ukrainian defence tech<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":98322,"template":"","tags":[783,642,412,1728,1645,2636,369,195,2313,1612,893],"class_list":["post-98420","insights","type-insights","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-anduril","tag-export","tag-freedom-fund","tag-investments","tag-magura","tag-oleksii-honcharuk","tag-sea-drones","tag-uav","tag-uforce","tag-ugv","tag-ugv-robotics","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In-depth interview with UFORCE CEO Oleh Rogynskyy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A big conversation with Oleg Rogynskyy, one of the most influential managers in Ukrainian defence tech. Read more on Defender Media\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/insights\/oleg-rogynskyy-big-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In-depth interview with UFORCE CEO Oleh Rogynskyy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A big conversation with Oleg Rogynskyy, one of the most influential managers in Ukrainian defence tech. 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