Ukraine seeing growing number of companies engaged in defense industry - minister

The number of enterprises working in the defense industry is growing, showing that the government is gradually putting the economy on a war footing.

Oleksandr Kamyshyn, Minister of Strategic Industry, spoke of this on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"When I started working in the ministry, we had two suppliers of 82mm mine casings and two suppliers of 120mm mine casings. Today, we have 14 suppliers of 82mm mine casings and 13 suppliers of 120mm mine casings. That is, we’re seeing an increasing number of firms that start working for the defense industry, which is a good sign that the state is putting the economy on a war footing," said the minister.

He also emphasized that the defense sector is currently one of the few industries where more vacancies are opening and salaries are going up.

"It was only in the corporate center of Ukroboronprom (Ukraine’s defense conglomerate) where we cut about 20% of the staff, while at the factories, we hire people for workers’ jobs. Currently, about 60,000 people are employed at the State Concern’s enterprises alone," Kamyshyn said.

In his opinion, the military industry can play an important role in the recovery of Ukraine's post-war economy, including thanks to the export of military goods.

"Weapons tested on the battlefield and manufactured in Ukraine by Ukrainians will be a sign of quality. And I'm talking not only about the acclaimed Stuhna anti-tank missiles, but also about many other weapons. We are working to ensure that there are more such products by the end of the war and that the world is aware of them," added the head of the Ministry of Strategic Industries.

As reported, the Ukrainian defense industry produced more mortar and artillery shells in July 2023 than in the entire past year.