domestic orders fueled an expansion

Following Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the Donbas region in 2014, there was an urgent need to strengthen Ukraine’s defensive capabilities. In response, the government began steadily increasing military spending. Where the military procurement budget in 2014 was $62 million, by 2021 it had increased 13 times over, reaching $836 million. While much of the procurement budget was spent on imports, a surge in domestic orders fueled an expansion of the Ukrainian arms industry. The industry was, however, still plagued by a culture of secrecy, clientelism and corruption—another legacy of Soviet times—which even after 2014 not only weakened Ukraine’s military capabilities and delayed the development of critical military systems but also deterred Western investors. These problems were especially prevalent within UkrOboronProm, the conglomerate that oversaw more than 100 state-owned companies and served as the primary supplier to Ukraine’s armed forces. สล็อต