Ukraine at the Forefront of Defense Innovation: Investment, Partnership and Opportunity

The Ukrainian Bar Association is pleased to announce the next edition of its traditional Open Ukraine Breakfast, held annually during the IBA Annual Conference.

Each year, Open Ukraine brings together legal professionals, business leaders, investors, government representatives and international partners to discuss the issues shaping Ukraine's future and the role of the legal community in addressing them.

Denmark has been at the forefront of a new model of defence-industrial cooperation with Ukraine. In 2025, it became the first country to enable a Ukrainian defence company to establish production abroad. Since 2024, the Danish Model has helped channel approximately $3 billion into Ukraine’s defence industry, with contributions from Denmark and other international partners. The funding has supported the production of more than 200,000 drones, thousands of electronic warfare systems, Ukrainian missiles and other defence equipment.

This Danish-Ukrainian partnership offers a compelling case study in how law, capital and industry can work together to accelerate defence innovation. It also reveals a new landscape of opportunities and challenges for international investors, businesses and legal advisers.

PROGRAMME

08:00–08:10

Welcome remarks
Mykola Stetsenko, President, Ukrainian Bar Association; Managing Partner, AVELLUM

08:10–09:10

Defence innovation as a business opportunity

Moderator:

Nazar Chernyavsky, Partner, Sayenko Kharenko; Member, IBA Technology Law Committee Advisory Board

Speakers:

· Dirk Madsen, Senior Consultant, EIFO (Denmark)

· Serhii Verlanov, Board Member, Skyhawk (Ukraine)

· Viacheslav Shvaydak, Founder, CEO, Dropla Tech (Ukraine)

· Joachim Finkielman, Director, DI Danish Defence and Security Industries (Denmark)

· David Wagner Reinhard, EVP/CPO, MITS Industries A/S (Denmark)

09:10–09:25

Q&A

09:25–09:30

Closing remarks
Ivan Horodyskyy, Vice President, Ukrainian Bar Association; Managing Partner, Dexis Partners

More information about the Ukrainian Bar Association: About the Ukrainian Bar Association