The Swiss Ministry of Defense reports that the US is delaying deliveries of Patriot air defense systems ordered by Switzerland due to priority support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Ukraine needs Patriot air defense systems and missiles to them to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. Moscow has intensified its aerial terror against civilians, launching sometimes over 700 drones per night. Russian attacks have resulted in an increased number of civilian deaths, with the UN reporting that in June alone, Moscow killed 232 people, including women and children.
In 2022, Switzerland ordered five Patriot systems, which were planned for delivery between 2026 and 2028. However, on 16 July 2025, the US officially announced a revision of delivery priorities due to the urgent need to replenish armaments for countries supplying weapons to Ukraine.
According to Defense Express, the contract included the delivery of 17 launchers and a stock of 70 GEM-T surface-to-air missiles, five AN/MPQ-65 radars, six MIDS-LVT data distribution systems, and five AN/MSQ-132 command posts.
Additionally, in November 2022, the US State Department approved the supply of 72 PAC-3 MSE missiles and related equipment to Switzerland worth $700 million.
Switzerland will receive the systems from later production batches, resulting in delivery delays. Meanwhile, Germany has increased its aid to Ukraine by transferring an additional two Patriot systems.
The delay currently has no specific timeline, and it is unclear whether it will affect deliveries of the PAC-3 MSE guided missiles, which the US promised to provide Ukraine earlier than Switzerland last year.
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The Czech Ministry of Defense has announced a significant increase in artillery ammunition deliveries to Ukraine in 2025 under its weapon initiative. It combines NATO countries’ donations with direct ammunition sales through a government-led program that has earned the confidence of international partners, Reuters reports.
Meanwhile, Russia receives up to 40% of battlefield ammunition from North Korea, mainly through massive shipments of artillery shells, rockets, and ballistic missiles.
Czechia formed a special team for Ukraine, which together with private companies, scours global markets for surplus ammunition stockpiles and new production lines. Ammunition batches are offered to donor countries, which decide individually what to finance.
Director Ales Vytecka of the Czech Defense Ministry’s AMOS international cooperation agency says 850,000 shells have already been delivered in 2025 to Ukraine, including 320,000 of NATO-standard 155 mm rounds. These figures are approaching last year’s total of 1.5 million shells, 500,000 of which were 155 mm.
Despite the opposition party’s threats to shut the program down after elections, Vytecka stresses that transparency is maintained to the extent allowed by security considerations. He added that the 29% increase in donor contributions compared to 2024 is a clear vote of confidence in the program’s effectiveness.
Donor nations, including Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark, choose which deliveries to fund, and all procurement offers are subject to audit in their respective jurisdictions.
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The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is launching a project to ensure technological superiority on the battlefield. With support from the German Federal Ministry of Defense and the Office of Effective Regulation (BRDO), Kyiv has announced a program to develop defense startups focused on artificial intelligence technology.
In 2025, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that hoping for a return to the 1991 borders without a technological leap is pointless. According to Zaluzhnyi, Russia has been waging a war of attrition since the end of 2023. In this situation, Ukraine’s victory is only possible by completely destroying Russia’s ability to wage it.
The launch of K4 Startup Studio promises a new format of cooperation between the state, developers, military experts, and global mentors.
Participating teams will compete to solve four key military challenges and can also submit their own ideas. Selected startups will undergo combat testing and receive mentoring support.
After a four-month intensive program, teams will have the opportunity to attract investments or sign government contracts. The four best startups will receive grants of $250,000 each.
“We are not just adapting — we are setting trends,” emphasizes Deputy Defense Minister Kateryna Chernohorenko.
Applications are open on k4.mod.gov.ua until 15 August 2025. Developers and investors interested in battlefield-proven technologies, both Ukrainian and international, are invited to apply.
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Czechia began its inaugural voluntary military training program for high school students, with 718 participants beginning four weeks of intensive instruction at eight military bases across the country in the first program of its kind.
The initiative represents part of a broader defense strategy aimed at strengthening national security capabilities while providing youth development opportunities.
The program was initiated in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Czech military leaders have explicitly cited the need to increase the number of recruits and strengthen national resilience in response to the deteriorating security situation in Europe.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the program attracted nearly 750 applicants aged 18 to 22 years, with five candidates failing entrance medical examinations and others withdrawing for personal reasons. Female students comprise approximately 20% of the participant cohort, all of whom must be enrolled in secondary education to qualify.
Czechia trains 718 teenagers in combat tactics during four-week voluntary military program that aims to expand national reserves while introducing young people to military service. Photo: Czech Ministry of Defense
Army General Karel Řehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, stated that the program seeks to “actively reach out to the young generation and introduce them to military service” while “expanding our reserves” through increased societal resilience.
Participants will receive comprehensive military instruction including:
tactical fundamentals
small arms training
grenade handling
topographical navigation
engineering preparation
first aid certification.
The curriculum also incorporates physical conditioning through morning exercises and field maneuvers, culminating in a two-day field exercise under natural conditions.
Can teenagers handle this intensity? The military thinks so. Students who complete the program take a ceremonial oath in their garrison town and receive 40,498 Czech crowns—roughly $1,900—before taxes.
Photos: Czech Ministry of Defense
But the money isn’t the real incentive here. The Czech Ministry of Defense frames this as preparation for “crisis situations” while strengthening “the state’s defense capabilities.”
The initiative coincides with the Czech military’s Reserve Resources 2025 mobilization exercises conducted in June, which focused on emergency and wartime conscription procedures, according to previous ministry announcements.
Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Czechia has provided Ukraine with extensive military aid focused heavily on artillery ammunition and heavy weapons. In 2024 alone, the Czech-led ammunition initiative supplied Ukraine with 1.5 million rounds of artillery shells, including 500,000 large-caliber 155mm and 152mm shells. Czechia also delivered 89 tanks, 226 infantry fighting vehicles and other armored vehicles, and 38 self-propelled howitzers, alongside air assets such as combat helicopters. The country helps to train Ukrainian soldiers, particularly pilots of F-16 and L-39 aircraft.
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