Ukraine has launched a world-first program giving startups access to real battlefield data for AI training.

Mykhailo Fedorov, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, announced that the government has approved a resolution launching a new framework for cooperation between the state, Ukrainian companies, and international partners. This initiative opens the opportunity for startups to develop and validate defense AI systems using real-world operational data, rather than simulated environments.

Initiative Details

Early-stage companies working on autonomous drones, computer vision, electronic warfare resilience, and battlefield decision-support tools will be able to train and refine algorithms on large-scale, continuously updated datasets generated during active operations. Access to this type of data, typically restricted or unavailable outside military programs, could significantly shorten development cycles and improve model performance in real-world conditions.

It also positions Ukraine as a unique testbed for defense-tech innovation, creating potential pathways for startups to collaborate directly with government agencies, integrate their technologies into operational systems, and accelerate the commercialization of next-generation autonomous defense platforms.

Strategic Objectives

Fedorov emphasized the importance of outperforming Russia in every technological cycle in modern warfare, defining AI as one of the key arenas of this competition. The objective is to increase the level of autonomy in drones and other combat platforms so they can detect targets faster, analyze battlefield conditions, and support real-time decision-making.

The Ministry of Defence has established a dedicated AI platform at the Centre for Innovation and Development of Defence Technologies, which enables partners to securely train models without direct access to sensitive databases, work with large volumes of labeled photo and video data, and use datasets that are continuously updated.

Ukraine currently possesses a unique body of battlefield data, including millions of annotated frames collected during tens of thousands of combat drone missions. These datasets are already used to train neural networks that automatically detect ground and aerial targets within the DELTA system.

International partners and Ukrainian companies have expressed strong demand for precisely this type of data to develop and modernize defense technologies. This initiative represents a win-win partnership model: partners gain the opportunity to train their AI models on real data from modern warfare, while Ukraine accelerates the development of autonomous systems and delivers new technological capabilities to the front line.