Western militaries are undermining Ukraine’s defence, experts say — SkimNews
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- CSNS report (King's College London) found 22% of 180+ Ukraine-Western defense partnerships are stalled, blaming rigid Western military thinking and Kyiv's regulatory paralysis.
- Rheinmetall's artillery shell factory in Ukraine, announced a year ago, has yet to break ground due to permit delays and the government relocating the site.
- Ukraine's FPV drone production scaled from 1 million in 2024 to an estimated 8 million this year — 16 drones for every 10 Russia fields — achieving localized air superiority.
- Ukrainian drone operators destroyed a simulated US tank brigade in August's Combined Resolve wargames and a British brigade in February using tactics Western armies have been slow to adopt.
- Ukraine's decentralized command structure and weekly software iteration cycles run counter to classic military hierarchies; CSNS visiting fellow Chris Pool said the UK told Ukrainian innovators their approach was 'not relevant to us.'
- The US stopped funding Ukraine last year, and far-right leaders in France and Germany want to follow suit, while the EU provides the bulk of military and financial aid and Ukraine overspent in H1 2025 to retake at least 870 sq km.
Why it matters: With 22% of defense partnerships stalled and Western militaries refusing to adapt proven Ukrainian tactics, Europe is simultaneously underproducing weapons for Kyiv and failing to prepare its own forces for modern drone warfare. The cost shows up both in Ukrainian territory — 870 sq km retaken in H1 2025 at overspent cost — and in European military readiness.
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