Soldiers and Startups: Inside the Room Where Freedom’s Future is Built
MITS Capital and Azov Brigade convened the free world’s mil-tech revolutionaries.
by Nikolaus Muchitsch in Kyiv
Under Fire News
At a Kyiv conference hosted by American investors and the Azov Brigade, soldiers and startups, veterans and VCs, gathered to showcase the mil-tech ecosystem that's changing modern warfare—and to urge Europe to catch up.
EARLIER IN JANUARY—It’s a cold, grey, and sludgy early afternoon in Kyiv. Today, the brightest minds of the defense industry are meeting with military experts and international funding providers to discuss on how to best win the war being waged against Ukraine by Russia, almost four years after it started.
This event is unique in that it is sponsored by an American investor, Perry Boyle, CEO of MITS Capital, in conjunction with Ukraine’s elite Azov Brigade.
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SeaBaby, We Greet Thee
We arrive at the location being greeted at the door by two “SeaBaby” drones placed on either side of the entrance. The SeaBaby has been successful in decimating the Russian fleet both in the Black Sea and beyond. The drones and their operators from the Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently hunting Russian shadow fleet vessels trying to smuggle Russian oil to the Kremlin’s few remaining allies.
Ukraine has been successful on the high seas, so the two drones at the entrance are an instant reminder of the amazing Ukrainian mil-tech ecosystem about which we will learning more in the course of the day.
The name of the conference: MITS x Azov Corps: Defense Technology Horizons 2026. Among the presentations:
A panel discussion on how warfare is likely to evolve over the next two years, with particular emphasis on the ongoing military reform in Ukraine and the Ukrainian military’s transition to (Western style) Corps structure
A presentation about research and development in military units
A presentation on battle management in modern electromagnetic operations
A panel discussion on emerging future battlefield technologies
And finally, a presentation on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities at the corps level
All of these were highly interesting and engaging topics, but if you have experience in conferences with a high degree of professionalism, then you know that your brain can only take so many insights. So at lunchtime, over a Ukrainian buffet, it’s a chance to mingle with a small cohort of brave, experienced, visionary people from all over the world, men and women who are here to defeat tyranny together, to learn from Ukraine while helping Ukrainians hold the line.
All the Free World’s a Mil-Tech Stage
On the way to the stage there are about a dozen Ukrainian mil-tech companies showcasing their products and services. We take the time to talk to each of them, as their forward-thinking products, each developed in response to a specific problem, are amazing.
From laser range finders that improve accuracy while reducing cost (as compared to Western systems) by a factor of 10 (!); to autonomous, AI operated drones (“keeping it 100” on land, sea, and air) with various upgrades available; and to advanced electronic warfare systems (for the individual soldier and for whole vehicles), Ukraine has created an incredible, rapidly-iterating mil-tech ecosystem that is on full display here in the conference bunker.
After lunch, it’s another rapid fire of presentations and panel discussions. We start with a presentation on “Unmanned Systems on the Battlefield: The Capabilities that NATO Armies Should Think About.”
Investing in Stuff that Works
Then it’s a panel discussion on how to fuel defense technologies with capital. This is one of the most interesting discussions of the day: European defense tech CEOs and EU representatives on the same stage, all agreeing that Europe is being too timid when investing into mil-tech.
The message is clear: If you want to win a war, first you have to accept that you’re investing into technology that will be used to harm other human beings. Once you have accepted this fact (however unpleasant this thought might be, it is war after all; and lethal means are needed to stop a murderous invader), then you invest—heavily and wisely.
A few further panel discussions follow: Medical care on the battlefield under drone dominance, and then innovation and how international cooperation and scaling models is shaping the pace of it.
The Harmony of Freedom
The program finishes with a short Ukrainian musical performance before we go have dinner and network with some of the amazing people that are at the event. The power flickered off and on many times but all carried on without a blip. From tech CEOs to frontline soldiers to US Navy Seal veterans, Defense Technology Horizon has managed to unite the brightest and most courageous people currently fighting for Ukraine, and many connections are made over a glass of wine or two, amid the medical evac robots and lethal drones. The conversations are so interesting, they only stop deep in the night and after the venue owner cuts of the lights.
The last holdouts—soldiers, startup CEOs, investors, and the women who deftly managed the event logistics—walk out in the cold night air of Kyiv, go our separate ways. But with the knowledge that Ukraine can, and indeed will win—how can it not, with such inspiring, smart, and motivated people on its side?
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UFN Daily Notebook—
What else we’re watching today:
In addition to an energy blackout in all of Ukraine, all of Kyiv is currently without water supply.
Will Trump realize that Putin lied to him? Putin told President Trump that he would not send missiles to Ukraine this week during violently cold temperatures. So instead of using missiles, it seems Russia might have taken out much of the energy grid of Ukraine in a massive cyber attack this morning. Almost all of Kyiv is without water, heat, and electricity. The high is 14 F / -10 C. Although we have last minute new reports suggesting something else could have been at play.
At 10:42am Kyiv time on Saturday 31 January there was a technological disruption with the simultaneous disconnection of the 400 kV line between the power systems of Romania and Moldova and the 750 kV line between the western and central parts of Ukraine. This caused a cascading shutdown in the power grid and the activation of automatic defences at substations. The result is a nationwide blackout in Ukraine. It is likely that this is due to a Russian cyberattack—more as this story develops.
In a direct contradiction to a supposed ceasefire on energy infrastructure during the current extreme cold in Ukraine, the speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin said that the Russian deputy corps demands a strike on Ukraine with a “weapon of retaliation from next week,” for which weather forecasters predict a decrease in temperature to -30°C.
Russia has said that due to President Zelensky’s refusal to come to Moscow (!), Ukrainians “from next week” are waiting for “new problems”
Democrats and the White House struck a deal to avert a partial US government shutdown and temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security as they consider new restrictions for President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement. The US government will now be funded until September.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Beijing in order to strengthen relations with China—an interesting strategy given China’s treatment of supposed partners. His visit will be followed by German Chancellor Merz’s visit in late February.
Cuba may face an acute shortage of oil in two or three weeks if it does not resume imports. Rumors are increasing that the US might take action against Havana.
The Cuba situation deteriorated dramatically after Mexico, the last supplier of fuel to the island, stopped exports—at least, as indicated by the data. At the same time, the United States blocked supplies from Venezuela, which for a long time was the main source of oil for Cuba.
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Absolutely! Ukraine leap frogs ahead in different technologies. Last year I was irritated with people claiming to use AI and they really didn’t know anything about it. Fast forward 12 months and Ukraine is on the bleeding edge of AI development, not just using LLMs but creating a “ family of experts” approach very similar to how the human brain has different lobes and areas for different tasks.