Joint production of drones with Norway and the Netherlands, more funding through DOT-Chain Defence, launch of the “Budget” digital system, and other key updates: this week’s MoD highlights

Ukraine has signed agreements with Norway and the Netherlands to jointly produce drones. International partners have pledged over $4 billion for weapons procurement for Ukraine through the PURL initiative. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has additionally allocated over UAH 2 billion for combat brigades to procure drones and other equipment through DOT-Chain Defence.

These and other key MoD updates are featured in this week’s summary.

Joint production of Ukrainian drones with Norway and the Netherlands

The relevant documents were signed by the Ministers of Defence of Ukraine and Norway. The plan is to launch a pilot manufacturing line as early as next year, with subsequent production expansion.

Ukraine will share its combat-proven developments and expertise, while gaining powerful manufacturing capacity and access to Norwegian technology.

This week, Ukraine also concluded an agreement with the Netherlands to jointly produce Ukrainian drones. The partnership focuses on scaling up the best Ukrainian weapons systems. The drones will be procured by the Dutch side and supplied to the Ukrainian military.

Over $4 billion in new contributions to the PURL initiative

International partners pledged over $4 billion for weapons procurement for Ukraine through the PURL initiative. A total of 21 countries have now joined the initiative.

This week, several new contributions were announced, including:
- $500 million from Norway, Poland, and the Netherlands
- $200 million from Germany
- CAD 200 million from Canada
- over $70 million from Australia and New Zealand

The PURL initiative helps quickly procure U.S. weapons for Ukraine’s needs — in particular, missiles for Patriot and other air defense systems.

Additional UAH 2 billion for drone procurement through the DOT-Chain Defence

The Ministry of Defence has additionally allocated over UAH 2 billion for combat brigades to procure drones and other equipment through DOT-Chain Defence. Since the marketplace was launched, more than UAH 6 billion has been allocated for procurement through it.

Under this marketplace model, brigades independently choose the drones they need and receive the equipment directly from manufacturers, while the Defence Procurement Agency manages all contracts and payments. This ensures that equipment reaches the military quickly and without unnecessary bureaucracy — on average, within 10 days.

The “Drone Configurator” feature will soon be introduced in DOT-Chain Defence, enabling the military to tailor drone configurations to specific combat tasks.

Special grant program for Ukrainian manufacturers of UAV components 

Ukraine is launching a special grant program for domestic manufacturers of UAV components. It will operate through the Brave1 platform. 

The goal is to make Ukraine independent of critical component imports and strengthen the national defense industry.

The Ministry of Defence has already codified more than 250 types of UAV components, including guidance systems, communications, power supply modules, and structural elements.

There are additional support tools for manufacturers, including the “Component Library” digital platform for sourcing partners, the “Made for Victory” grant program, and soft loan programs for defense enterprises.

The “Budget” information system in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Ministry of Defence has officially put the “Budget” information system into operation within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It promptly provides visibility into how the military plans and uses funds — without paper reports or delays.

What does it enable? First — immediate access to up-to-date financial data across all units. Second — transparency of expenditures and elimination of “blind spots”. Third — less manual processing and quicker management decisions.

The system is built on SAP technologies, which are used by most NATO armies. Over 60% of budget holders in the Armed Forces of Ukraine are already using the “Budget” system.

The system represents a core component of modern defense resource management in Ukraine.

Since the start of the year, russia has lost the equivalent of 32 divisions of troops

Since the start of the year, the russian army has lost more than 383,000 personnel — the equivalent of 32 divisions. 

The Ukrainian military has been eliminating roughly three russian divisions each month this year.