The panel on hybrid warfare brought together public institutions, critical infrastructure operators and industry

Ukraine and Portugal can launch their first joint defence projects in maritime security, critical infrastructure protection and counter-drone systems, Valery Krasovsky, co-founder and board member of Defence Builder, said at a panel on hybrid warfare in Porto. Ukraine contributes combat-tested technology and operational experience, while Portugal contributes industrial capacity, testing infrastructure and access to European defence programmes, he said.

Krasovsky pointed to two systems that Ukraine was the first country to use at scale in combat. Ukrainian sea drones have destroyed or damaged more than 25 Russian vessels and pushed the Black Sea Fleet out of Sevastopol, reopening a corridor that has since carried more than 200 million tonnes of Ukrainian exports. In May 2026 Russia launched over 8,000 Shahed-type drones, and in the largest attacks interceptor drones accounted for more than 40% of those shot down. One interceptor costs $1,000–5,000, compared with millions for an air defence missile.

Both systems moved from prototype to serial production within months, because operators, engineers and manufacturers work in one short loop, Krasovsky said. The constraint now is volume. Ukraine's defence industry can produce about $55bn worth of equipment in 2026, and around 40% of that capacity has no funding behind it. Joint ventures and co-production with European partners are the way to put that capacity to use, he said.

Krasovskyi named Portugal among the countries where such cooperation has strong potential, citing its maritime expertise, industrial infrastructure, testing capabilities through the REPMUS maritime unmanned systems exercise and growing investment in unmanned systems.

At Defence Builder, Krasovsky works on connecting Ukrainian companies that have combat-tested products with international partners for joint R&D, testing, investment and manufacturing.

Krasovsky spoke on the panel "The Public Sector and Companies on the Hybrid Warfare Chessboard", following his talk on autonomous AI. 

Defence Builder Accelerator is accepting applications for Batch 4.0 until 30 October 2026. Defence and dual-use teams from any country, including Portugal, with a working prototype at TRL 4+ can apply. Protection from airborne threats, including counter-drone systems, is one of the programme's seven priority areas.

• Application form: https://defencebuilder.com/batch4-application-form.

• Programme details: https://defencebuilder.com/batch4.