{"id":2122,"date":"2025-04-13T10:39:32","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T07:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/?p=2122"},"modified":"2025-12-08T12:40:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T10:40:41","slug":"yaroslav-sherstyuk-monologue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/2025\/04\/yaroslav-sherstyuk-monologue\/","title":{"rendered":"Yaroslav Sherstiuk has been building military software for over a decade \u2013 so why can\u2019t he raise money?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Ukraine\u2019s defence tech community, Yaroslav Sherstiuk is both respected and polarizing. \u201cHe\u2019s building useful things, but God, he\u2019s exhausting,\u201d an official with Ukraine\u2019s Ministry of Defence told Defender<\/em>. Over the past decade, Sherstiuk has created a suite of digital tools for the military: the artillery app Ukrop<\/em>, the military messenger MilChat<\/em>, the mapping system TacticMap<\/em>, and several others\u2014many of which have become popular among Ukrainian soldiers. And he\u2019s done it mostly on his own.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defender<\/em> spoke with Sherstiuk about why building software in Ukraine\u2019s defence sector is much harder than building hardware, and how much funding it would take to bring his tools to the next level.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code. Army. Code<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a former military officer \u2014 an artilleryman. Since 2007, I\u2019ve been developing software for the military. My first app was for a button phone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, the war started in 2014. I left the army in 2019. I fought near Donetsk, and when I left, the Ministry of Defence didn\u2019t even give me a certificate of appreciation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After my discharge, I returned to mobile development with an idea to create a full automation system for artillery. I brought the concept to Noosphere company. I put together a team, and we built ArtOS \u2014 a fire-control system for artillery, mortars, and MLRS. We showcased it at several big expos. There was serious interest from abroad \u2014 a potential client was ready to buy \u2014 but in the end, the deal didn\u2019t go through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yaroslav
Yaroslav Sherstiuk with the artillerymen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Photo from Sherstiuk’s Facebook page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Later, I kicked off a new project: MilChat. Originally, we built it to understand how data was transmitted inside ArtOS. But it quickly took off as a standalone military messenger. This was back in 2016 \u2014 Signal and WhatsApp weren\u2019t common yet, and Viber and Telegram hadn\u2019t really gained traction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MilChat grew fast. At its peak, it was gaining around a thousand users per day. We hit 200,000 users total. The app had real functionality \u2014 imagine Google Maps combined with WhatsApp. By 2022, users had created over two million map objects and sent a similar number of messages \u2014 all within six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Noosphere shut down ArtOS and let the team go. I left too, though I kept 50% of the rights to MilChat. The app received a few updates after 2022 but essentially stopped evolving. I tried to bring in investors, but I couldn\u2019t reach an agreement with Noosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019m working on now<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After that, I built TacticMap<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 fully on my own this time. I took inspiration from Apple Maps: clean, simple, intuitive. The difference with TacticMap is that you can add custom layers \u2014 enemy markers, friendly positions, training zones, mined areas\u2026 It\u2019s like Apple or Google Maps, but tailored for military use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development went smoothly. The iOS version took two months, Android three. Some projects drag on forever \u2014 problems with the team, design, communication. But TacticMap came together fast. We now have versions for both mobile platforms and a backend for syncing data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At one point, Apple flagged TacticMap as a military app and blocked it on the App Store. I escalated it all the way up \u2014 and got it unblocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"TacticMap
TacticMap works on smartphones, tablets, and in the web version. Image from the official TacticMap website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We have thousands of users now. There\u2019s a subscription model for the iOS version \u2014 monthly, six months, or a year \u2014 but subscriptions are few and far between. The app is stuck in a loop: it\u2019s not making money, so I can\u2019t invest in growth; and I can\u2019t grow it because there\u2019s no money. Right now, we\u2019re getting 20 to 40 new users daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also have other working apps, especially for artillery. On Android, there\u2019s Ukrop \u2014 it\u2019s been around for 11 years and has tens of thousands of users. The iOS version had to be renamed to MyGun<\/a> because Apple deemed \u201cUkrop\u201d to be a derogatory slur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At various times, my apps ranked in the top five in their categories. That includes another Android tool called \u201cTopic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why military software is so hard to build in Ukraine<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no clear mechanism for selling military software to the Ukrainian state. There\u2019s basically a monopoly: one system \u2014 Delta \u2014 and no one else is allowed in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, there are dozens or even hundreds of private companies building drones and other hardware. In software, this simply doesn\u2019t exist. Delta has become a national project, and private companies are locked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\u201cDeveloping
\u201cDeveloping hardware in Ukrainian defense tech is much easier.\u201d Photo courtesy of Yaroslav Sherstiuk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So developers like me are forced to shift focus \u2014 toward civilian use, the emergency services, or even foreign markets. TacticMap has users in Saudi Arabia, Poland, Germany, and the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without a real market, it\u2019s impossible to build strong teams or pay decent salaries. I\u2019ve built all my apps almost entirely solo. Occasionally volunteers join, since everyone wants to support the army \u2014 but that interest fades after a month or two. People get busy at work and move on. I can\u2019t afford to pay them competitive wages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And soldiers themselves aren\u2019t willing to spend money on software. If they have to choose between a subscription or coffee and cigarettes \u2014 they\u2019ll take the coffee. So the only realistic way forward is to work through the government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why I can\u2019t raise investment<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Investors want to put in one dollar and take out three. But with military software in Ukraine, that\u2019s nearly impossible \u2014 not with the current monopoly. Sure, foreign markets exist, and they respect our combat experience. But you have to know how to work with foreign clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t have the time or energy for networking. I\u2019m buried in the operational mess. I believe I can build a great product \u2014 but I don\u2019t know how to sell it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I keep asking the Ministry of Defence: when will you start buying software from private companies? They always say, \u201cYarik, we\u2019ve known you for ten years, we use your software \u2014 we\u2019re working on it.\u201d Recently they passed Resolution 234, which supposedly regulates this. Whether it works \u2014 and how quickly \u2014 is still a big question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\nPhoto
Photo courtesy of Yaroslav Sherstiuk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also skeptical of accelerators. They take a stake in your company, but it\u2019s unclear what they actually give in return. I probably have more direct contacts in the military than they do. And in terms of development \u2014 I doubt they can teach me anything new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know I need to grow on the business side. Either that, or I find a partner with a business mindset. I\u2019m open to giving up equity if someone can truly help take this to the next level and turn it into a real, profitable company.Right now I\u2019m also working at a startup called Swarmer \u2014 they\u2019re building a solid product for managing drone swarms. But my heart\u2019s still with my own projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Next<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d love to build a company that creates military software and helps kill Russians. The UkropSoft<\/a><\/strong> brand has existed for ten years \u2014 now it\u2019s time to turn it into a real business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for now, I want to focus on TacticMap. It\u2019s a solid product and I believe in its potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not asking for a million-dollar investment. I think $10,000 per month would be enough to hire a team and start building real momentum. I don\u2019t want seniors \u2014 in my experience, they talk more than they code. Juniors and mids would be perfect. Two Android devs, two iOS devs, one QA, one designer. Plus money for marketing and a salary for myself \u2014 just enough so I can finally focus full-time on building the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Got a proposal for Yaroslav? Let\u2019s turn it into content. Reach out to us at team@thedefender.media<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A brutally honest monologue from a tactical app developer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","_featured_category_order":0,"_article_badge":"featured","footnotes":""},"categories":[28,29],"tags":[509,1662,507],"class_list":["post-2122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecosystem","category-startups","tag-maps","tag-navigation","tag-software","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYaroslav Sherstiuk has been building military software for over a decade \u2013 so why can\u2019t he raise money?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet Yaroslav Sherstiuk, the respected but polarizing developer behind military apps like Ukrop, MilChat, and TacticMap.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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