Analysis

February 24, 2025

How Ukraine changed defence tech: ‘The stigma is gone’

Russia’s invasion redrew ethical lines and attracted once squeamish investors


Credit: Milan Sommer, Shutterstock

Three years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the conflict has upended Europe’s defence tech industry — attracting unprecedented sums of money, redrawing ethical red lines and prompting some companies to pivot towards military applications.  

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Anne Sraders

Anne Sraders is a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covers the VC industry and deeptech startups. She also writes Sifted's weekly VC newsletter Up Round. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

Martin Coulter

Martin Coulter is Sifted's news editor, based in London. You can follow him on LinkedIn and X

Miriam Partington

Miriam Partington was a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covered the DACH region and the future of work, and wrote Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup.

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